


Transfer

by Strayis



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: 1st draft, Alpha Choi Jongho, Alpha Jeong Yunho, Alpha Kim Hongjoong, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Human, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Anxiety, Bad Decisions, Best Friends, Beta Choi San, Beta/human, Co-Existence, Depression, Drama, Hope you enjoy, Human Jung Wooyoung, Human Kang Yeosang, Human Song Mingi, Hurt/Comfort, If You Squint - Freeform, Imprinting, Jealousy, Lack of Communication, M/M, Mates, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Multiple Perspectives, Multiple mates, Not Beta Read, OC Human Kyle, OC Omega Laura, OC's are mates, Omega Park Seonghwa, Omegaverse, Oneus mentioned, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Pack Hierarchy, Polyamory, Scents & Smells, Sexual tension?, Some OC's - Freeform, Unrequited Love, Will update tags as we go, Wooyoung's Mother, Yeosang's Mother, a hospital scene, even more jealousy, fated mate, humans and wolves, more jealousy, oblivious wooyoung, ruts and heats, world hierarchy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:15:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 27,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26904241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strayis/pseuds/Strayis
Summary: Two transfer students, Seonghwa and Hongjoong, change the lives of best friends Yeosang and Wooyoung in unexpected ways.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DESCRIPTION WIP.
Comments: 23
Kudos: 51





	1. COMING SOON...

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter will be published on the 24th, the same day as Ateez's 2nd Anniversary Online Concert ^-^
> 
> Side Note: This was published on the 20th of September on Wattpad. I didn't want to publish on here until it was closer to the time that I was going to publish the first chapter.
> 
> Important: What you will be reading will be my first, unedited draft of this story. So, if you pick up any mistakes or things that don't make sense, please don't be shy and let me know. It will help me immensely! That being said, please excuse my poor writing. I promise I will improve! I've been researching how to improve my writing and editing skills recently and will attempt to implement what I've learned so far as I write this story and edit my other works. 
> 
> Also, please don't be dissuaded from reading this because I've marked it as Teen and Up Audiences. This may change as the story progresses. Currently, I don't believe it has anything that makes it fit into Mature or Explicit, but if things change as I write and edit, it may become a Mature story. But there is no smut currently and for once, there is no suicidal stuff...yet... I hope you will enjoy reading this despite the lack of these things ^-^ (my favourite part of the story is actually closer to the end ngl, so if you have the strength, try and stick around for that fun little drama fest XD)

Quick A/N: **Hi! As you can see from looking at the title and this chapter, I have a new story on the way. And for the first time, it is an ATEEZ fic. YAY!**

**For those of you who are waiting for me to edit and update my current stories, don't fret, I will get there. I was already working on this and another story before all the drama happened. And since I don't want to let that drama ruin what I enjoy, I have decided that I will continue with preparing and publishing this story.**

**Now, that's the A/N done, let's get onto the news you're here for ^-^**

** TITLE **

Transfer 

** COVER **

_**** _

_**Complete** _

** ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY **

Transfer students, Seonghwa and Hongjoong, change the lives of best friends Yeosang and Wooyoung in unexpected ways.

** FULL SUMMARY **

WIP

** CHARACTERS **

~ Kim Hongjoong 

~ Park Seonghwa

~ Jeong Yunho

~ Kang Yeosang

~ Choi San

~ Song Mingi

~ Jung Wooyoung

~ Choi Jongho

**_Complete_ **

** HIERARCHY  **

_**Complete** _

** ADDITIONAL TERMS  **

_**Complete** _

** EXPLANATION OF SCHOOL SYSTEM **

_**Complete** _

** CHAPTERS **

**ACT I**

CH 1: The Transfers

CH 2: Mates

CH 3: After Heat

CH 4: Storm

CH 5: Little Talks

CH 6: A World Apart

To be added...

[ _CH1 set to be published on the 24th, October **NOTE: **I sincerely apologise for releasing it on the 25th instead.****_

 _ ** **I have no excuse. I just left writing until last minute because I hate starting stories****_ ]

**A** s you can see, there is still more information needed before we can start the chapters. So, in the following weeks, I will upload more information, and then, once we have all the necessary information required to start the story, we will begin the chapters. Every time I update, I will edit this chapter to fill in what has been added so that way you have an easy way of tracking what you're waiting for. The updates will likely be sporadic and come with no warning, so I suggest you subscribe if you want to remain updated each time new information, and eventually, new chapters come out. The reasoning behind the random/unplanned updates is due to my hectic schedule with studying, exams, assignments and just daily life. I also now have to spend extra time on other stories to edit and update them, so some of my time will be divided between that as well as this, which will make both processes a lot slower. But, I hope you can forgive me and give me some patience. I will do my best to fix up my current stories and work on more chapters for them as well as working on _Transfer_. 

Stay healthy and safe <3 

Date: 20-10-09

Time: 10:51

**EDITED:** 201011 _ 08:27

 **EDITED:** 201020 _ 18:44

 **EDITED:** 201025 _ 00:15

 **EDITED:** 201130 _ 21:57

 **EDITED:** 201231 _ 23:56

 ** **EDITED:**** 210101 _ 23:23

 **EDITED:** 210228 _ 23:58


	2. Character Card || 김홍중

**~ KIM HONGJOONG ~**

****

**Character Card [** 1 **]**


	3. Character Card || 박성화

**~ PARK SEONGHWA ~**

****

**Character Card [** 2 **]**


	4. Character Card || 정윤호

**~ JEONG YUNHO ~**

****

**Character Card [** 3 **]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, some information has been redacted. This is because the information is integral to the plot. Meaning, it would give away too much and ruin the plot to have this information available right now. From this point forward, character cards will have their status and mate redacted. There are two character cards which have this information [unnecessarily] redacted to ensure that it wasn't easy to figure out who is Yunho's mate. You will find unredacted versions of the character cards in the future once the information has been divulged in the story. I would also like to mention that all of the members have been aged up by 1-2 years.


	5. Character Card || 강여상

**~ KANG YEOSANG ~**

****

**Character Card [** 4 **]**


	6. Character Card || 최산

**~ CHOI SAN ~**

**Character Card [** 5 **]**


	7. Character Card || 송민기

**~ SONG MINGI ~**

****

**Character Card [** 6 **]**


	8. Character Card || 정우영

**~ JUNG WOOYOUNG ~**

****

**Character Card [** 7]


	9. Character Card || 최종호

**~ CHOI JONGHO ~**

****

**Character Card [** 8 **]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final Character Card. 
> 
> Next Chapter: Hierarchy


	10. Hierarchy

** Wolf Hierarchy: **

**KEY -**

Red = Authority Chain

Turquoise = "Lesser" 

** Co-Existence Hierarchy: **

****** _Note:_ I did not add descriptions to the breakdown of the wolf hierarchy in the co-existence flow chart because they were already explained in the wolf hierarchy flow chart/list. 

** Wolf Character Hierarchy: **

**KEY -**

Purple = hierarchy

Pink = supposed to protect

****** _Note:_ Seonghwa is visually depicted as lowest on this chart, however, he has almost the same amount of authority as Hongjoong because they are mates and Hongjoong is a top alpha. Seonghwa is displayed visually lower because he is an omega. But, the arrows show that despite this, he holds more authority than Yunho, Jongho and San. 

****** Additional Beta Info: Because they are expected to protect omegas and baby alphas from threats, their bodies are designed to be able to tank attacks better than alphas. They also have the ability to lose control like an alpha and fall into an extremely aggressive headspace (which is disturbing on the usually mild betas). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Additional Terms


	11. Additional Terms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This page will exist to be your personal dictionary for the terms that are unique to this story. For now, I will add terms that I believe you need an explanation for, but, if you come across any in the future that you'd like added to this, let me know and I will add them. 

** TERMS: **

**Inner** \- Alpha, Beta, Omega

**Top Alpha** \- an alpha who is often seen as the alpha of all (including other alphas).

**Baby Alpha** \- young alpha just coming into alphahood. Often perceived as lower than older alphas due to inexperience. Have a "fresh" scent for the first 3 years after presenting

**"Claimed"** \- The joking/insulting term used for a mated wolf to a human

**Unpresented** \- The term used to describe wolves under 18 who are yet to present as alpha, beta or omega

**Presenting** \- Presenting is when a wolf goes through a heat or rut or reaches their 18th birthday without "presenting" and are determined as alpha, beta, omega

**Imprinting** \- Imprinting is primarily something an omega does to identify a close bond with their mate and a pup.

**Suppressants** \- used to suppress the effects of a heat or rut. Not meant to be taken regularly.

**Represents** \- extreme version of suppressants that also repress the wolf's Inner. Taken with extreme caution and can only be acquired through a doctor's script or by illegal means.

**Rut Drop** \- the term used to describe a rut followed by a drop. The rut is usually more aggressive and a mated alpha will push away their mate and wish to carry out their rut alone despite the pain. The rut is intense for three days and then the alpha falls into a depressive drop. The mated omega is left distressed while their mate suffers. Medical aid is often required to get an alpha out of a rut drop. 

**Heats & Ruts** \- these biological reproduction cycles among wolf hybrids happen every three months and generally last for two weeks total if pre-rut and pre-heat are included. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to upload this part early for Jongho's birthday ^-^ 
> 
> ~ Happy birthday Jongho! ~


	12. Explanation of the School System

**S** o, before we begin this story, I would like to explain the school system of this world and how it is different to our own. I would normally leave this up to the story to explain to you, but, as the school system is not the focus of the story, it will not be explained in great detail. Hence, I will provide information on it here so you may understand why the characters are still at school despite their age.

0-5 = home care or daycare  
5-10 = "pre-school"   
10-20 = "main school"   
20-25 = "after school"

** Pre-School - **

Pre-school is the schooling period before main school. During this time, pups and kids are mostly separated but are encouraged to interact during monitored play times and group projects. Wolf pups are still learning about their own strength and a little too rough playful tackle from an overexcited pup and result in an injured human child. However, by the time a pup is 10 years old, they have usually mastered control over their strength and recognise that they have to exercise more control around humans than their wolf companions to prevent hurting someone accidentally. During pre-school, the children and pups learn about each other, the hierarchy, heats and ruts, mates, their roles in each other's lives- overall, this schooling period promotes co-existence.

** Main School - **

Main school is the ten year schooling period that focuses on S.T.E.M, English, general electives such as home economics, visual arts, music, manual arts, business and technology, another language, photography, film studies and drama. during the final three years of main school, students attend compulsory 'After School Prep.' classes once a week. The classes are a mixture of seminars, information sessions, open day excursions and mock lectures for selected interests. These classes often require the students to travel outside of school for a few hours to a day to gain information on possible careers. However, during the final year, these classes are 8/10 homebound and are lessons on entrance exams and mock exams. The entrance exams determine the immediately available studies for students to study based on their results. 

** After School - **

When the humans and wolves turn 20, they transition into "after school" which is a five year study program where students focus on two studies that they will pursue a career in. After school is not mandatory, but is highly encouraged. After school can be deferred for up to two years before students are deemed as uninterested. **  
**

**Happy reading!**


	13. ACT I

**_~_ ** _We're at the starting point of this long journey_ **_~_ **

**__ **


	14. CH 1: The Transfers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moment Wooyoung laid his eyes on the beautiful, tall, dark haired omega, he knew he was doomed. 

  
  


_Wooyoung_

He laughed at his best friend's pouty expression. It was adorable when Yeosang got like this, all pouty and whiny, begging him for something. 

"Wooyoung," Yeosang whined, drawing out the syllables of his name as he gripped Wooyoung's arm and shook it. Wooyoung only laughed harder. "Wooyoung," he whined again, this time sounding slightly offended that Wooyoung couldn't stop laughing. 

"Okay, okay, alright!" Wooyoung tried to calm himself down so he could appease Yeosang who had now crossed his arms and turned slightly away from him. "I was just joking. I'll let you order chicken."

Yeosang, who had been in the process of turning further away as Wooyoung kept trying to catch his eye, whirled around, huge grin on his face. He snatched the phone from Wooyoung's outstretched hand without a word, hurrying to order before Wooyoung teased him again. 

While Yeosang ordered, Wooyoung stood up from the floor and moved towards the tv to grab the remote. He moved back to where Yeosang was happily ordering fried chicken and crouched behind him, watching over his shoulder until he was done. 

"Can we start watching the movie now?" Wooyoung asked. Yeosang nodded, handing him his phone with a grateful smile. He accepted his phone and put it on the table before practically collapsing onto the couch. "I can't believe the weekend's practically over!" he exclaimed, his tone whiny. "The weekends are too short!"

Yeosang shook his head at Wooyoung's whining and laughed before sitting next to him. "Maybe if you hadn't slept all day yesterday, it wouldn't feel so short," Yeosang snorted as Wooyoung hit him. 

The day continued with their usual bickering as they watched movie after movie and enjoyed various snacks after demolishing the fried chicken in seconds.

As day dragged into night and the room slowly became encapsuled in shadows cast by the everchanging light of the television screen, Wooyoung moved closer to Yeosang, resting his head on his best friend's shoulder mindlessly. It was a habit to be close to each other, sharing physical contact regularly, reminding each other that they were there. Sure, they could communicate just fine with words, but Wooyoung knew Yeosang understoond touch better, on a deeper level. His words could be sharp swords ready to slice at anything prone, but his touch was always gentle and it offered Wooyoung a new way to understand how his best friend was feeling. If he pushed him away when he said he was okay, Wooyoung would know he wasn't. If he embraced him or returned the touch, then Wooyoung would know he was okay. That he wanted Wooyoung there.

It was strange to consider how well they knew each other. At least, that's what their other friends had said. But Wooyoung didn't think so. He just understood that Yeosang expressed himself differently. His words were often like daggers, but it was his touch that always gave away how he was truly feeling.

So, when Wooyoung felt the familiar, soft, triple tap on the back of his hand, he couldn't hide his smile. He allowed his eyes to slip close for longer than was wise as he lost interest in the movie, Yeosang's body warmth and shoulder enticing him into a welcoming comfort. He was tired, drained after the long week. His sleeping all day was just one sign of it, he knew that. He knew Yeosang knew that. Knew that even though Yeosang teased him for it, he was concerned. Concerned about just _how_ much he had been sleeping; how quiet he was becoming. He knew Yeosang was concerned, that his silence was scaring his close friend of 7 years, but, he didn't know what to say- how to tell his best friend that he was moving away very soon. How to tell his best friend whom he had promised to do everything with, that he couldn't keep his promise.

Wooyoung found that he _couldn't_ tell Yeosang. And it killed him. Killed him to smile and pretend that in a month from now, he'd still be here. Killed him to look Yeosang in the eyes and excited agree how exciting the Summer holidays would be. He hated himself for lying to Yeosang, but he couldn't bring himself to tell the truth. Everytime he tried, he lost his nerve the moment he found Yeosang's kind eyes staring at him attentively. The kind eyes only Wooyoung could see.

Wooyoung opened his eyes, his body and mind feeling fatigued even after doing nothing. Any little joy he'd had moments before had vanished. He stared blankly at the screen, unseeing as scenes flashed by. He laughed, but he didn't know why. Something funny happened, but it didn't feel funny. Nothing felt funny. Not when he was constantly counting down the days, the hours, minutes, seconds- every moment he had left with Yeosang before he moved far away.

He wanted to spend every spare chance he could with Yeosang, to enjoy whatever time he had left before he would be too far away for them to see each other unless it was on holidays- that's if Yeosang would even want to see him after he pulled a disappearing stunt. Yeosang was sensitive. He may not look like it. Hell, he looks intimidating, tough and Wooyoung had believed so too until he got to know Yeosang better. And now he knew that Yeosang was very sensitive to the world around him and his words were his only shield, his protection from the wolves that eagerly lurk in the shadows ready to tear apart any that are too weak. Figurative wolves that is.

Although, Wooyoung didn't doubt that the wolf hybrids wouldn't happily tear apart a human if they could.

Wooyoung exhaled harshly, trying to force the thoughts from his mind. He wanted to enjoy this. He _was_ going to enjoy this.

Yeosang shifted and Wooyoung knew that he'd noticed Wooyoung's change in mood and had been waiting for a sign to acknowledge it.

"We should rest. We have early classes tomorrow," Yeosang said softly, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the movie sounds, but not any louder.

Yeosang was tired.

Wooyoung pulled away and looked at Yeosang, his eyes searching his friend's face. In it, he saw an exhaustion. An exhaustion cause by him. By Wooyoung. Guilt clenched at Wooyoung's lungs, constricting them. All his lies and secrets were stressing out Yeosang. His own cowardice was hurting his friend. The same friend he supposedly wanted to not hurt.

"Ugh, remind me why we even chose ealry classes again?" Wooyoung replied, face scrunching into a look of annoyance. But despite it all, he still wouldn't tell Yeosang. It would only hurt him more to know. It was better for him to think that things would get better eventually, that he had time to find out. It was better that way. The words did little to comfort or convince Wooyoung, but what little it did provide was enough for him to continue pretending.

~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~

The morning came with a bunch of groaning and whining from Wooyoung while Yeosang just rolled his eyes and grumbled about Wooyoung being the dumb one to think that they'd miraculously become morning people if they took morning classes.

They arrived to class unsurprisingly late. The professor barely spared them a glance, only wishing them a good morning before continuing on with her lecture.

Wooyoung and Yeosang hurried to their usual seats, thankfully empty due to the small size of the class and no one being interested in sitting at the table in the middle of the room.

They had just settled in and began quickly jotting down some notes the professor had written on the board about assessment dates and topics, when a knock sounded on the door.

The professor paused as the door opened and two boys peered uncertainly into the room.

"May I help you?" She asked, brows furrowed as she looked at the two who were clearly wold hybrids. Their unique scent already spreading across the room.

"Yeah, is this Narah Lee's English Film class?" The shorter wolf, the alpha, asked. Their professor nodded.

"You must be the transfers. Take a seat. I'll fill you in on what you've missed after class."

Both wolves nodded and entered the room swiftly. Wasting no time, the wolves scanned the empty spaces for a place to sit. Wooyoung's eyes widened when he realised the wolves were heading to their practically empty table. 

The moment Wooyoung laid his eyes on the beautiful, tall, dark haired omega following behind the alpha, he knew he was doomed.


	15. CH 2: Mates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeosang listens to Wooyoung gushing about the tall, gorgeous, kind, amazing, funny transfer student every day. Enduring his own silent heartache at seeing the one he had been in love with falling deeply for an omega. 

**W** olves were distinct from humans by their scents that filled whatever space they occupied. It wasn't any specific scent really, more like a presence that added weight to the air and made it tangy or spicy or earthy depending on whether the wolf was an alpha, beta or omega. 

Alpha's generally added a spicy hint to the air while omegas offered a tingly tangy scent and omegas offered a calming earthiness.

It was the tangy scent of an omega that haunted Wooyoung as he walked through the halls, even when he returned home.

It was insanely intoxicating how good the omega, Seonghwa, smelled. Wooyoung wished he had a wolf nose, if only to know what Seonghwa truly smelled like.

He knew his thoughts were crazy. A human should never even bother having a single thought about a wolf. They couldn't be mates. And wolves lived to find their mates. It was practically unheard of for a wolf to "mate" with a human. The few that did endure constant belittlement from other hybrids while the human copped hate from other jealous humans and those few cult groups who believed as adamantly as the wolves that mixing humans and wolves was disgusting and wrong.

But, Wooyoung still hoped. He couldn't help but to hope. Seonghwa was gorgeous. And he was in most of his classes too! Seonghwa actually sat with Wooyoung a fair bit too. Sitting beside him when Yeosang and the alpha weren't there.

On the third day, Seonghwa entered the room and smiled at Wooyoung when he saw him and walked over, excitedly sitting next to Wooyoung in the empty space that Yeosang usually filled. Wooyoung didn't have the heart to tell him that Yeosang was just talking to their previous professor and would be there soon. Nor did he want to tell Seonghwa to move. Not when the omega had been so happy to take the spot beside him.

Of course there were whispers. The news of wolves on campus had spread like wildfire through dry bushland. There were no wolves at this after school. The area had a higher human population and the wolves in the area usually preferred to travel for an extra hour to go to a wolf populated school rather than mingle with humans. So, not only were the students whispering about the wolves, but also the closeness of the wolves to Wooyoung and Yeosang. 

Wooyoung hadn't heard any bad things said about the wolves yet. Only surprise and confusion at wolves transferring to their campus, not just because they were wolves but because, who the hell transferred campuses half way through the last semester of the year?

The wolves disappeared after classes, often only to reappear in another class that shared with Wooyoung or Yeosang. They apparently shared similar interests to the Yeosang and himself. But unlike Yeosang and Wooyoung, most of their classes were different from each other's. They had similar interests but the alpha, Hongjoong was more interested in producing music than choreography, which is what interested Seonghwa.

The only class all four of them shared so far was English Film. But, Wooyoung knew that Yeosang knew the two hybrid's schedules already. He had a feeling it was more to prepare himself in advance for Wooyoung's endless gushing about Seonghwa. Wooyoung hadn't missed Yeosang's growing agitation with him whenever he began talking about Seonhwa, even though it had only been three days.

Wooyoung felt guilty when he saw Yeosang walk into the room, his eyes landing on his seat filled by Seonghwa. He saw something flicker across Yeosang's face before it disappeared and was replaced by his intimidating mask once more.

"Yeosang!" Wooyoung's and Seonghwa's heads snapped in the direction of the door at the voice. It was Hongjoong. Yeosang turned around and returned the way he came when the alpha beckoned him outside.

Wooyoung glanced at Seonghwa and noticed the hybrid's pinched expression.   
"What's wrong?" Wooyoung asked. He wasn't sure of the relationship between Seonghwa and Hongjoong, as far as he could tell, they seemed to be just friends, but something in his gut tightened upon seeing Seonghwa's reaction to Hongjoong calling Yeosang away.

"Shhh," he growled harshly. "I'm trying to listen."

Wooyoung gaped at Seonghwa. Not only had the omega growled at him, but he was also eavesdropping on his friend and Yeosang. Was it even polite for an omega to do that to an alpha?

Yeosang didn't return for the rest of the class and Wooyoung fidgeted constantly. As happy as he was to be seated next to Seonghwa, he didn't have much time left with Yeosang and he didn't want some alpha to upset his Yeosang before he left. He just couldn't bear to leave an already upset Yeosang. It would destroy him if he did that. He needed to leave a happy and content Yeosang.

So, he began packing up his things, 10 minutes early. He really couldn't wait another minute, not after enduring fifty of them already. 

"What are you doing?" Seonghwa asked as he watched in puzzled silence as Wooyoung continued to pack away his belongings.

"Going to find Yeosang," was all Wooyoung said. Now that he'd thought about Yeosang possibly being hurt, he was afraid that his best friend had been hurt.

"He's fine. If he's still with Hongjoong then you have nothing to worry about. Hongjoong's a strong alpha."

"I need to see Yeosang," Wooyoung said, he stared at Seonghwa now. His heart fluttered as he gazed into his eyes.

"Okay. Let's go then."

And so, they left the room, whispers following their every breath. But Wooyoung didn't care. He was going to find Yeosang to ease the panic in his chest.

When they found Yeosang and Hongjoong, it was because Wooyoung heard Yeosang's unmistakable laughter.

Wooyoung's heart clenched and a small sound escaped him unconsciously. Yeosang hadn't laughed like that since main school. Jealousy ravaged Wooyoung. Who was this strange alpha to steal away his best friend and make him laugh like that?

Belatedly, he realised that he shouldn't be angry that Hongjoong made Yeosang laugh like that. He should have been on his knees thanking Hongjoong and begging him to always make Yeosang genuinely laugh. He shouldn't be mad just because someone else could do what he couldn't. But alas, this revelation came too late, and he found himself only able to respond with anger upon entering the room.

Wooyoung entered the room angrily, Seonghwa following nervously behind him. Hongjoong's eyes shifted between the both of them without any distinguishable emotion. He simply raised an eyebrow before returning his attention to Yeosang.

Yeosang, who was still glancing between Seonghwa and Wooyoung, looked uncertain. He then stood and approached Wooyoung. Wooyoung wanted to reach out and embrace him, do something, anything to show that Yeosang was his. Anything so that Hongjoong wouldn't steal away his best friend, even if he was leaving soon, he was too jealous to let any rational thought process.

But, Wooyoung didn't reach out. He just watched Yeosang approach, gaze calculating and searching. 

"Why are you angry?" Yeosang asked softly, nervously.

"Why didn't you come back to class?" Wooyoung asked harshly. His eyes sliding from Yeosang to Hongjoong who was watching him unabashedly, brows twitching at his tone of voice.

"I-well-Hongjoong-" Wooyoung instantly regretted his harsh tone when he saw Yeosang's eyes widen, heard his words jumble.

Wooyoung finally reached out and touched Yeosang. He put a gentle hand on his arm, "It's okay. Never mind. I was just concerned," he said as he subtly tapped thrice upon Yeosang's skin. Yeosang immediately relaxed, finally understanding.

"You needn't have worried," Hongjoong spoke up. "I would never hurt a human unprovoked. Yeosang and I just got carried away is all. I just wanted his voice for a project I'm working on."

"His voice?" Wooyoung questioned, brows furrowing.

"Yeah, he has the perfect voice for some really emotional vocals. I actually want to transition from his to Seonghwa's voice. It would sound so baeutiful. But Seonghwa doesn't feel confident enough to record yet. So, Yeosang's vocals will have to work alone."

"Why take him during class time. Why not after class?" Wooyoung grumbled, still not ready to release his jealous anger despite Hongjoong clear praise of Yeosang. 

"Because you both vanish the moment classes end unless you have a class after lunch," Hongjoong said, annoyance sharpening his words. Although his eyes were transfixed on his screen as he did something, Wooyoung was certain the alpha was still watching them all.

"It's not like we're the only ones who disappear after class," Wooyoung bristled. He couldn't shake the feeling of frustration and failure weighing on him after hearing Yeosang laugh so freely, so genuinely. How long had it been since Yeosang had truly laughed? How long had Wooyoung let him stick to his reserved giggles and mouth-covered chuckles? 

_How did Hongjoong get Yeosang to laugh like that?_

The question kept repeating in Wooyoung's mind, taunting him. 

_How_ did _Hongjoong get Yeosang to laugh like that?_

"We are busy. We usually have a lot to do in between classes or we have back-to-back classes," Hongjoong's voice jarred Wooyoung from his thoughts. "We just moved here last week. There are a lot of things to sort out." 

Wooyoung nodded. That made sense. He wanted to ask why the wolves had moved, but decided against asking. He didn't know Hongjoong very well and didn't want to be seen as a prying human. He glanced at Seonghwa who was staring at Hongjoong with a strange expression and sighed. He knew now that asking Seonghwa to eat lunch with Yeosang and himself would be denied. That was the expression of someone who had something to talk about. So, he grabbed Yeosang's hand, "Well, if you're done with Yeosang, we're going to _disappear_ now." 

Hongjoong nodded, barely even glancing up from his screen to say goodbye before they left. Seonghwa muttered a goodbye as Wooyoung and Yeosang passed him, to which Wooyoung smiled and returned the gesture.

**~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~**

_Seonghwa_

Unbeknownst to Wooyoung, Seonghwa's and Hongjoong's eyes followed the action of his hand grabbing Yeosang's and pulling him out of the room. Seonghwa also took note of the light blush dusting Yeosang's cheeks as he followed Wooyoung out of the room. 

"I think you did something wrong," Seonghwa said once he was sure the human boys were out of earshot. 

"I didn't do anything wrong," Hongjoong responded, his eyes once again glued to the screen of his laptop. 

"You upset Wooyoung. You did something wrong," Seonghwa repeated. Hongjoong heaved a sigh and glanced up at his omega. 

"He was jealous. I didn't do anything wrong at all, Seonghwa. Wooyoung was just jealous for whatever reason his human mind decided he needed to be jealous for."

"You didn't see him, or smell him. When Yeosang didn't return to class, he started getting fidgety and nervous. He packed up ten minutes early and he sounded desperate. Haven't you noticed that they are almost always together. I've only been in two classes with Wooyoung alone and one with Yeosang alone. The other classes were shared by both of them. And I've been talking with him, Hongjoong. The way he talks about Yeosang, they are super close. I-" 

"Yeosang's in love with Wooyoung," Hongjoong interrupted. "But Wooyoung is not in love with Yeosang." 

Seonghwa stared open mouthed at Hongjoong. He'd barely gotten Yeosang to talk to him during that class, how did Hongjoong already know this? 

"How-"

"Yeosang told me and I could smell it," Hongjoong glanced up at Seonghwa. "I'm surprised you didn't notice it."

"I..." Seonghwa trailed off, unsure how to respond. He cast his mind back to any moment that the two boys had been together for any hints he may of missed but he couldn't remember any particular scent that stood out. 

"Yeosang also told me another interesting detail," Seonghwa tensed at Hongjoong's almost sing-song tone. He only used that taunting voice when he was mad or knew something that Seonghwa didn't and he was baiting Seonghwa to inquire about it.

"What did he tell you?" Seonghwa bit. He wasn't ashamed, he always took the bait. 

"Well, Yeosang was kind enough to tell me that his bestie, Wooyoung, has a giant crush on my omega," Hongjoong looked up from his screen and stared at Seonghwa with an unamused expression. "But surely my lovely, beautiful, intelligent mate is already aware of this, no?" 

Seonghwa swallowed slowly. He was not. He frowned. He wasn't upset that Wooyoung had a crush on him, quite the opposite, actually, he was flattered. Wooyoung was a very gorgeous human and there was a charming quality to him that seemed distinctly wolfish that it was uncanny and if it weren't for the lack of a specific identifying fragrance that each individual wolf had, then Seonghwa might mistake him for a fellow omega. He definitely had the characteristics of an omega; alluring, protective, excitable, and knew how to flaunt what he had. 

Hongjoong snorted. "How are your senses so blind to these two humans? Have you found a way to turn off your sense of smell or something?"

Seonghwa knew that Hongjoong's anger wasn't directed at him, but it still hurt. He felt bad for upsetting his alpha, even if it wasn't his fault specifically that his alpha was mad. Hongjoong picked up on this immediately and his expression and tone softened. 

"I'm not mad at you, Seonghwa. Come here," he called softly. Seonghwa walked over to Hongjoong and curled up beside him, hugging him as he watched his mate sort through his notes and edit the track he was working on. 

**~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~**

  
"I'm frustrated for Yeosang," Hongjoong muttered a few days later when they were cuddling on their bed while he continued to work on his song, his laptop settled on his lap while Seonghwa curled against his side, head resting on his shoulder. 

Seonghwa, who had been about 5 minutes away from dozing off, blinked, puzzled for a moment before his sleepy brain understood what Hongjoong meant. 

"Because of the unrequited love?" 

"Yes. And because Wooyoung is so oblivious to it all. You know how and why Yeosang knows Wooyoung has a crush on you, right?" Before Seonghwa could nod, Hongjoong continued. "He tells Yeosang everything. He's pretty much gushed about you to Yeosang every day since we transferred here- and it's only been a week! Yeosang is trying so hard to try and be happy and supportive, but it's killing him, Seonghwa. And I wish I could just help in some way- just make Wooyoung see how much Yeosang cares for him and-"

"You can't get involved, Hongjoong. While it would be so easy to tell Wooyoung, or wish they had our sense of smell, they're humans, and they have their own rituals and ways for working this out."

"Yes, but-"

"No but's," Seonghwa growled, pulling away from Hongjoong so he could see his face. "You already upset Wooyoung. He may not be _in love_ with Yeosang, but he definitely loves him in some way. I don't even think he realised he did this, but, when he heard Yeosang laughing, he made this sound. It was strange, it was a very surprised sound and his scent went crazy with so many emotions at once, it was hard to work out what he was feeling. But, the most distinct scents were sadness, surprise, joy and jealousy. It was almost like he hadn't heard Yeosang laugh before-" 

"Like he hadn't heard his best friend sound so happy in a very long time," Hongjoong interrupted, his voice barely above a whisper. Seonghwa looked at his mate's pained expression. "There's a history there. A history we'd be better off forgetting. Whatever happened in the past is their business and should stay that way."

"I think you should ask Yeosang about it," Seonghwa said. Hongjoong shook his head. 

"No. I won't pry. If Yeosang wants to tell me, he will. But I doubt he will. If something happened that changed something between them, it's probably not something either of them wish to share. Besides, it may even be something as simple as Yeosang falling in love with Wooyoung and not feeling comfortable to be completely himself around him." Seonghwa nodded in agreement, that made sense. 

"I do want to know why Wooyoung was jealous though..."

**~~~~~~~~*!*~~~~~~~~**

  
_Yeosang_

This is how their friendship was.

Wooyoung had been gushing about the tall omega for two weeks now and Yeosang could no longer stop himself from rolling his eyes. It was borderline annoying. And it wasn't just because he was jealous. No, he was used to this, but with how much Wooyoung went on and on about Seonghwa's beauty and elegance, it was becoming unbearable. Yeosang tried to smile, tried to be a good friend and support Wooyoung, but his best friend was really beginning to wear him down.

Yeosang listens to Wooyoung gushing about the tall, gorgeous, kind, amazing, funny transfer student every day. Enduring his own silent heartache at seeing the one he had been in love with falling deeply for an omega - of all people, a wolf. How could Yeosang compare?

It was monday and he had shared three classes with wooyoung, including one class with both of the wolves and now he was in his fourth and final class of the day. He shared it with Hongjoong. 

Usually, Wooyoung waited for him to finish class, even though it meant Wooyoung had to hang around an extra two hours after his own classes had finished. But today, Wooyoung was going somewhere with Seonghwa for an early dinner. So, Yeosang would be going home alone today.

He couldn't help the twisting pinch of jealousy that attacked his heart. He knew that he shouldn't be jealous, there was no reason to be. If Seonghwa made Wooyoung happy, then he should be happy. And it wasn't like Wooyoung and Seonghwa could actually get together. Seonghwa was Hongjoong's mate afterall.

Something twisted inside Yeosang. It felt wrong not to tell Wooyoung, but Wooyoung gushing over Seonghwa was the happiest Yeosang had seen him in three months, and he didn't want to rip that joy out from under Wooyoung. Besides, he had told Hongjoong- had betrayed Wooyoung secretly -about Wooyoung's crush and discussed with him about the mate predicament and Hongjoong had agreed that they could play oblivious for a while and he would tell Seonghwa. Hongjoong had also promised that Seonghwa wouldn't lead Wooyoung on, just give him something to gush about and they would tell Wooyoung when they thought the time was right. 

Yeosang couldn't understand why he had told Hongjoong, or why the alpha had been so easy to talk to, or why he felt so at ease around Hongjoong- so at _home_ \- or why he felt like nothing could touch him if he was by Hongjoong's side...He figured it was an alpha thing. But Hongjoong's warm, spicy scent only brought comfort to Yeosang, and some days, he even found himself envious of Seonghwa for having such an amazing smelling mate. He knew that Hongjoong's actual was likely very different from what his human nose- for humans can only smell spicy, earthy and tangy - was smelling, but he didn't think that the comfort of Hongjoong's scent would change even if Yeosang had a wolf nose. 

"So, I heard my lovely mate, Seonghwa, has taken your lovely friend, Wooyoung, out for an early dinner?" Hongjoong's tone was light and the phrasing alone was enough for Yeosang to blush. Hongjoong could probably smell his wallowing. 

"Yeah," Yeosang responded, trying to keep his voice even. He'd never had to go home alone except for when Wooyoung was sick at home. It scared him how easily Wooyoung seemingly tossed him aside. 

"I guess we've both been abandoned for the afternoon," Hongjoong sighed almost dramatically and Yeosang couldn't help raising an eyebrow at his theatrics. Hongjoong shifted and looked at him when he heard no response. "So...How about we grab something to eat after class too?" 

Hongjoong's voice was earnest and Yeosang almost bristled at the pity shining in Hongjoong's eyes. But, despite his annoyance at being pitied, he couldn't find it within himself to feel truly mad. The little Yeosang knew about Hongjoong, he knew that Hongjoong wouldn't act solely out of pity. But, that didn't stop him from declining the offer, even if he desparately wanted to say yes and just enjoy himself. 

"Uh, no, sorry. I have to go home and study this afternoon."

"Oh, well, maybe we can study together?" Hongjoong tried, his eyes almost pleading. "Maybe we can help each other with it?"

"Oh, I have to study for classes that you aren't in," Yeosang floundered. 

"Maybe I can help you with it? I don't take all of the same classes as you, but I have been looking at Seonghwa's notes so I can help him when he's stuck." 

"Uh, no it's okay. It's basically just revision anyway." 

_ Hongjoong _

Hongjoong huffed. He could sense Yeosang's sadness and he wanted to help distract Yeosang, but the human was being impossible. He didn't know why he cared so much for the boy, he'd never felt the need to protect a human before. Not like this. He'd never felt the need to make him happy and hear him laugh. Never. He hadn't told Seonghwa yet, didn't want to admit that he was feeling this way for a human, because he didn't even know _in what way_ he felt for Yeosang. 

After pestering Yeosang for the rest of the two hour lecture, Hongjoong finally convinces Yeosang to eat dinner with him.

They go to a cafe for a light snack instead of a proper meal as Yeosang apparently isn't particularly hungry. When they arrive, Hongjoong feels tension ease from his shoulders immediately, it's not just a human cafe, there are wolf customers and workers. He was prepared for an all human cafe and a bunch of stares when Yeosang had muttered about a cafe that he went to that had really good beverages. But now he felt at ease.

Knowing that other wolf hybrids came here, and especially considering no human paid him much attention asides from the few who, judging by their scents, liked how he looked. He noted that a few wolves watched him, he figured that was because they had recognised his status, but he also noticed a few eyes settle on Yeosang, and he gently wrapped a protective arm around the boy who jumped with surprise and looked up at Hongjoong questioningly. But he knew the human followed his gaze when he felt him move closer.

Some wolves were disgusting. Some wolves liked to take advantage of the inherent weakness of a human, got turned on by it in fact, and it repulsed Hongjoong. Knowing that there were at least two wolves within the cafe alone that were like that, Hongjoong felt his senses go into high alert. 

He returned his attention to Yeosang, "Where do you want to sit?" he spoke softly, his voice lower than necessary as he ducked his head down a little so Yeosang could hear him. He was giving the appearance of protection to the human. Some might've scoffed at an alpha or a wolf in general putting on such a display over a human, but no one would dare in the presence of a top alpha. Even if they had different values than Hongjoong himself, they would respect Hongjoong's own values while in his presence. _The only bonus of being born a top alpha_ , Honjoong mused. 

Yeosang led him to an empty booth near the window at the corner of the cafe on the same side as the door. "Here," he whispered, his breath shallow, heart beating so loudly that with their closeness, Hongjoong's sensitive ears could pick up on the faint frantic beating of it. He released Yeosang and slid into the seat opposite the human, his eyes roving over the interior of the cafe. It was nice. Modern but with a rustic twist. It felt...cozy. As he allowed his eyes to return to the boy in front of him, he found he could understand why Yeosang would like this place. It felt familiar even if Hongjoong had never stepped foot into it before. 

"This place is really nice," Hongjoong said as Yeosang stared out the window silently, his scent a strange mix of peace and anxiety. 

Yeosang's attention returned to him and he offered a small smile. "Just wait until you try the milkshakes!" 

And so, the joyful Yeosang returned. Hongjoong smiled fondly at Yeosang as he listed off the good things on the menu and continuously changed what he recommended for Hongjoong to try first. He laughed when Yeosang made a particularly exasperated sound before throwing the menu at Hongjoong. 

"You know what? Just pick what you want, there's like nothing bad on the menu. It'll all be good for your first try." 

But, when Hongjoong did pick, Yeosang shook his head and point out something else. "No, trust me, you don't the toasty if you're going to have a chocolate milkshake. Have have this instead," he pointed at the hot chips. "The saltiness goes better with the chocolate milkshake."

"Just how often do you come here?" Hongjoong teased. Yeosang blushed. 

"Not often!" He squeaked. "I just happen to know a thing or two about what goes good together. 

"But didn't you say everything on the menu was good? Doesn't that imply you've tried everything?" 

"Hongjoong!" Yeosang whined. "You're being annoying! I don't even come here that often! I just have good advice and common sense!" 

Hongjoong notices the change in Yeosang a few seconds before he notices the alpha. He notices Yeosang's posture change slightly and his eyes flickering uncertainly between Hongjoong, the table and somewhere behind Hongjoong. Just when Hongjoong is about to turn around, the fresh scent hits him. A baby alpha. The alpha whisks past him and comes to a stop in front of the table, but standing very subtly closer to Yeosang. Hongjoong watches with disguised alertness. The baby alpha is practically glaring at him, interesting. And Yeosang is pointedly staring at the table, also interesting. His scent was even more interesting. It was some where between embarrassed and excited. 

"Who's your new friend?" The baby alpha asked Yeosang, his eyes finally moving away from Hongjoong. It was ballsy for the baby alpha to even dare to glare daggers at Hongjoong. Even older alphas would practically cower from his scent alone, but this baby alpha was _interesting_. Hongjoong already liked him. 

"I-uh, he's- we aren't really friends," Yeosang blurted. Hongjoong's eyes widened. 

"Aren't really friends?!" he exclaimed in mock hurt, placing a hand to his heart. "And here I thought we were practically besties." 

Yeosang giggled. Actually giggled. Hongjoong couldn't hide the surprise as the boy giggled nervously. 

The baby alpha looked caught between wanting to stare at Yeosang and admire him and wanting to glare at Hongjoong. That alone was enough to make Hongjoong smile wider. 

"I-well-Jongho, this is Hongjoong, he's one of the transfers I told you about the other week." Yeosang told the alpha, Jongho, after his mini giggle fit ended. Jongho nodded. 

"You said he had a mate though, didn't you? Where's his mate? Also, where's Wooyoung? He usually comes with you on Monday afternoons?" 

Hongjoong's brow rose at the information. Yeosang knew this alpha well enough to tell him about Hongjoong and Seonghwa. _And_ the alpha knew Yeosang well enough to ask about Wooyoung.

"He's uh," Yeosang's scent stuttered. The sadness returned and Hongjoong decided to step in. 

"Yes, I do have a mate. Unfortunately, we've both been ditch by our lovely other halves and are now bonding over our mutual feelings of betrayal," Hongjoong's voice dripped with playfulness, he was trying to lighten the mood. The baby alpha seemed to catch on to what was happening and gave Hongjoong a subtle nod when he cocked his head, pushing his scent to express to Jongho what he could not explicitly say with words. He smiled when the baby alpha understood. He was smart then. Good. If he had taken a fancy in Yeosang and Yeosang was seemingly at least slightly interested in return, then it was good that he was smart. Hopefully it would help them if in the future, they ever got together- that was if Yeosang could ever get over his love for Wooyoung. 

Suddenly, something hit Hongjoong. He recognises Jongho's scent. He'd smelled it before. But it had been faint, his brows furrowed and then his eyes widened. It had been on Yeosang. The scent had been clinging to Yeosang, barely noticeable but there. Hongjoong only recalled it from two different days. 

Yeosang snorted at Hongjoong's words, unaware of the secret correspondence between the two alphas. Or of Hongjoong's sudden realisation. "Bonding, sure." 

"You're so mean, Yeosangie," he whined, pouting. He ignored how the other alpha tensed and the glare of daggers returned. 

Yeosang laughed, "Deal with it," he poked his tongue out before a seriousness returned. "Now, we should probably order so Jongho doesn't get in trouble for not doing his job." Hongjoong raised a brow, for indeed, he had missed that Jongho was a waiter. 

They ordered their food and drinks, Hongjoong listening to Yeosang's advice.

The moment Jongho left, Hongjoong smirked, "Good advice, huh?" he wiggled his eyebrows and teased Yeosang who tried to hit him without moving from his chair. 

"Shut up!" He hissed, a deep shade of red blooming across his face, ears and neck. 

And that was how their afternoon continued, with Hongjoong teasing Yeosang every chance he got and making the boy laugh as much as possible, distracting him from wherever his thoughts went when the silence dragged on too long.

He ignored the glares he got from Jongho and tried his best to ignore how many times Jongho would gravitate as close as he could under the guise of working to try and hear what Hongjoong and Yeosang were talking about. He wondered breifly if it was a bad idea to rile up a strange alpha, especially one who didn't even fear a top alpha or have any claim on the human his eyes were set on. But he figured it would be fine, it might even push along any possible relationship between the two.

Seonghwa always told him not to get involved in the affairs of others, but sometimes, Hongjoong couldn't help it. And he knew Jongho and Yeosang would make beautiful mates. Even if Yeosang was human and could not bear Jongho any pups, it was a pairing that Hongjoong supported whole heartedly, even if he'd known of Jongho's existence for literally an hour. He approved of Yeosang's choice in alpha. Even if he was yet to specifically choose. 

When they left, Hongjoong offered to walk Yeosang home. He could tell Jongho didn't like that one bit, especially when Yeosang declined but Hongjoong kept pressing. In truth, Hongjoong didn't want to go home yet, especially not while Seonghwa was still out with Wooyoung. His rut was due soon, as was Seonghwa's heat, and he could already feel the irritation gnawing beneath his skin. It would only grow worse in Seonghwa's absence. He didn't like it when his pre-rut hit before Seonghwa's pre-heat or when he was alone. It was unbareable feeling so out of sorts. He usually got lost in his head when he was alone during pre-rut and to get out of it, he'd work. The last time that happened, his rut had hit him while he was extremely sleep deprived and unprepared and he'd nearly needed to be hospitalized just to recover. Seonghwa had been furious. Not just at Hongjoong, but at himself for not giving Hongjoong the attention he needed, even if Hongjoong hadn't told Seonghwa.

Hongjoong also didn't tell Seongwa that he was 60% more susceptible to a rut drop than normal alphas. He kept that information tucked away. He didn't plan on having a rut drop any time soon- even if rut drops were literally as unplanned as dropping your fries on the floor.

Shaking off the thoughts, Hongjoong continued to badger Yeosang until he eventually caved and they walked towards Yeosang's place. 

"You could come hang out at mine and Hwa's for a while if you want," Hongjoong said after a drawn out silence. 

"I-No I don't want to intrude o-"

"You wouldn't be intruding. Seonghwa won't be there for hours yet and I wouldn't mind the company. Besides, my place is just a little ways past yours."

"How do you know where my place is?" 

"Seonghwa and I were walking past it the other day and heard Wooyoung complaining about you kicking him out for something," Hongjoong glanced at Yeosang. A light rosey pink dusted hs cheeks. 

"Yeah, well the arsehole shouldn't have eaten the last chocolate chip waffle."

Hongjoong laughed. They continued in silence for a bit before Yeosang said, "Sure, I'll hang out at yours for a bit- that's if you still want me to."

Hongjoong nodded and smiled. "Of course! I just have a few things to do and then we can play mario kart or watch a movie or anything you like!" 

"Okay," Yeosang agreed. 

**~~~~~~~~*!*~~~~~~~~**

  
**(two days later)** "Yeosang, Seonghwa's out with Wooyoung, they'll probably be chatting and eating for ages, again!" 

"Yeah, so? It's probably better that Wooyoung is occupied. I'll actually get some studying done for once without Wooyoung around to distract me..." Yeosang's scent spiked with a heavy sadness. 

Yeosang was once again being moody and shutting down Hongjoong at every turn as he tried to convince him to hang out with him. 

Seonghwa had been happy after hanging out with Wooyoung, but he had been less than impressed to 'find his mate scenting Yeosang'. Hongjoong didn't know why he'd done it, and if Jongho's glowers the following morning were anything to go by, he had maybe gone a little overboard. But a part of him preened when other wolves gave Yeosang a wide berth and thought twice about looking at him. He was surprised Yeosang hadn't noticed, in fact, it was Wooyoung who noticed. He'd been furious with Hongjoong. Hongjoong was surprised that he knew what he'd done but Wooyoung said that even a dumb human could smell Hongjoong's strong alpha scent all over Yeosang. Wooyoung was surprised that Yeosang wasn't suffocating from how overwhelming it was. But Hongjoong didn't apologise. He also couldn't, because Yeosang actually seemed happier and calmer than Hongjoong had ever seen him. His completely relaxed attitude contradicting Hongjoong's own antsy one. In fact, now that he thought about it, he likely scented Yeosang because of his pre-rut.

He was just lucky that his wacky instincts hadn't been so weird while Yeosang was awake. It would have been a lot to explain. Maybe Hongjoong still should. He'd noticed how confused Yeosang had been when Jongho stood further away than normal and didn't hang around the table more than absolutely necessary even though there were barely any customers. Hongjoong suggested that maybe Jongho got in trouble for loitering around them so much the other night. He'd tried not to notice how eagerly Yeosang accepted that suggestion. Thinking about it now made him wince. 

"Come on!" He whined, grabbing Yeosang's arm and tugging gently. "We had fun the other night, right? We can do some studying and then hang out again."

"Nope," Yeosang shook his head adamantly. "Not this time, Joongie dearest." Hongjoong growled at Yeosang's sikly sweet tone and what he called him, mocking something that should sound affectionate and twisting it into something that sounded unaffectionate.

"Why not?" Hongjoong asked, the whine gone from his tone, a seriousness settling in as he grew tired of Yeosang's games. His pre-rut symptoms were growing harder and harder to ignore and his temper was quickly getting free of its tether.

Thankfully, Yeosang seemed to notice the shift in Hongjoong's mood and instead of being annoying, he took Hongjoong aside in the hallway and lowered his voice, "Are you in pre-rut?" To say Hongjoong was surprised would be an understatement. How had Yeosang worked it out so quickly?

Hongjoong nodded in response. "How?"

"I paid attention in the classes no one else did," Yeosang said simply. "Now, let's get you home. You can even scent me again if you need to."

Hongjoong froze. The step he'd been about to take forgotten. Yeosang knew. This whole time, Yeosang knew Hongjoong had scented him?! Hongjoong's stomach dropped to the floor and he felt heat burn his cheeks with shame. Why had he so eagerly assumed that Yeosang didn't know? How did it even make sense-

"Did Wooyoung tell you?"

"No, why would-" Yeosang's words started with an incredulous giggle as he tugged Hongjoong's arm to get him to follow. But, the giggle died as Hongjoong's words caught up with him. "Wait, Wooyoung knew? How?"

Hongjoong nodded, "He smelled it apparently. He got super mad at me. I honestly thought I was going to regret not having written my will yet." Hongjoong chuckled at the memory, although it wasn't funny how scary a mad Wooyoung was.

Yeosang didn't say anything and simply just led Hongjoong out of the school and all the way back to his apartment, as if Hongjoong being in pre-rut meant that he couldn't remember where his home was.

"I'll stay with you until Seonghwa comes back." Yeosang said as he lead Hongjoong to the couch in loungeroom. "Wait here, I'll go make you a tea to help soothe your muscles."

Hongjoong didn't object, he couldn't. Not when drinking a tea sounded like heaven right now. He watched Yeosang's figure disappear into the kitchen and contemplated how strange it was for Yeosang to be taking care of him like this. Hongjoong kind of liked it. But he wished he could be taking care of Yeosang instead.

"What do you want to eat? I can try and-"

"It's okay, Yeosang. Just a tea is fine, thank you."

The afternoon was interesting. While Hongjoong drank his tea, Yeosang pulled out his books and began studying, but after a while, he closed them with a heavy sigh and made his way over to the couch where Hongjoong was yet to move from. Hongjoong was pleasantly surprised when he sat beside he and then leaned into him, as if seeking comfort.

Both of them were beginning to fall asleep when Hongjoong startled at the sound of voices. He sat semi-upright, disturbing Yeosang who sat up groggily, his hair messy from Hongjoong running his hands through it as they dozed off.

The front door opened and Hongjoong was on his feet immediately. Seonghwa and Wooyoung walked into the house.

Hongjoong tried to stop his lip from curling at the sight of his omega so close to the human. A distant part of his mind informed him that Wooyoung wasn't a threat and that this was just his beginning rut talking. But, that thought was quickly dismissed.

Wooyoung glanced between Hongjoong and Yeosang, a slight pinch to his expression. "Yeosang! You're going to reek of Hongjoong again!" His exclamation made Hongjoong growl. "Ugh! Yeosang you-" Wooyoung cut himself off and shook his head. He stepped forward but Hongjoong growled.

Finally, Seonghwa seemed to catch onto what was going on, his eyes widening in panic. "Wooyoung stop. Hongjoong, has your rut started?" Seonghwa addressed both of them swiftly and Wooyoung's vonfusion was answered within seconds of being told to stop.

Yeosang moved away from the chair, sidling past Hongjoong and gesturing for Wooyoung to follow him back towards the door. Hongjoong didn't miss his discreet, "We should go," to Wooyoung and he greatly appreciated Yeosang's quick thinking. He really owed Yeosang. Not only had the boy stayed with him and let him scent him again while his mate was away, but he was quick to get his friend away too.

If only Wooyoung was as smart as Yeosang. 


	16. CH 3: After Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongho thought the human was going to remain silent, but Yeosang surprised him when he whispered something he never thought he'd hear from Yeosang.
> 
> "Wooyoung hates me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry this chapter took so long. It was supposed to be longer and the original outline was very different to what you are seeing now. A large chunk of this chapter will instead show up in the next chapter. 
> 
> A new detail about heats and ruts has been added to the Additional Terms chapter.

_ Wooyoung _

**"** _ **W**_ _hat wolf in their right mind would ever mate with a human, let alone be interested in one?_ _"_ The words clanged harshly around in Wooyoung's head. He couldn't get them or Hongjoong's sneer out of his head, no matter how hard he tried.

He should have just kept his mouth shut. He should have known...

A rage swept through him again as he thought about Yeosang's reprimand and expression. He'd known. Yeosang had known that Wooyoung's crush was mated and he hadn't said anything. He had just let him go on and on like a complete fool.

Wooyoung covered his heated face with his hands. He was so stupid! Why did he ever think he had a chance with Seonghwa? It was so obvious, now that he looked back. It was so obvious that Hongjoong and Seonghwa were mates- that Seonghwa was just humoring his silly human desires.

Wooyoung groaned and threw himself backward onto his bed at a new thought. Seonghwa would have smelled his desire for him. His cheeks burned as he thought about it. He was so stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

But it wasn't even his own obliviousness that hurt the most, nor Hongjoong's words, it was the complete and utter betrayal of Yeosang knowing and not telling him. Why did Yeosang hide it from him? Why was he so cruel?

A tear slid down Wooyoung's cheek and into his ear as his lips began to tremble. He'd refused to see Yeosang since that day. Had screamed at Yeosang to leave him alone, told him that he never wanted to see him again and then locked himself in his room. Wooyoung wasn't sure how many days had passed, but his memory supplied the number (happened Friday) five. And Yeosang had come around every single day. And every single day, he told his mother to tell Yeosang to leave. He couldn't even find it within himself to feel bad that he was likely hurting Yeosang, and that scared Wooyoung a little.

But, Yeosang had let Wooyoung look like a fool. Had betrayed him. Hell, he'd gotten so cozy with Hongjoong, it was like Wooyoung didn't mean anything to him anymore. Wooyoung bet the two were laughing about his obliviousness behind his back. He didn't want to think that Seonghwa could have been too, that would just hurt him too much. He wouldn't be able to bear his best friend and crush laughing at him.

A small part of him knew that these thoughts were ridiculous, but in his current state of mind, he ignored the voice, no matter how reasonable it was.

A gentle knock on his door pulled him out of his thoughts. He allowed his hands to fall away from his face and he stared at the door for a moment before calling out, "Yes?"

"Wooyoung, Yeosang's here to-"

"Tell him to go away. I don't want to see him." Wooyoung interrupted his mother before she could finish. He didn't miss her heavy sigh before she walked away.

Wooyoung still hadn't told her what happened, too ashamed to admit his stupidity. He knew she was disappointed in him for behaving this way, and she constantly reminded him that they would be leaving on Saturday and that he shouldn't be shutting Yeosang out- that he shouldn't be wasting precious hours being spiteful or upset. But Wooyoung couldn't force himself not to feel betrayed. He couldn't look past what Yeosang had done and couldn't bring himself to see Yeosang before he left.

Every time he tried, every time he picked up his phone and his finger hovered over Yeosang's contact, he was just flooded with more rage and shame.

And so, he kept telling his mum to tell Yeosang to go away, like a coward.

~~~~~~~~ ******* ~~~~~~~~

"Wooyoung-" Wooyoung didn't even let his mother finish. He'd heard the knock. And if she was up here, then it meant that it was Yeosang again.

"No. Tell him to go away," he didn't even glance up from his phone as he spoke.

"Why won't you see him?" His mother's voice was stern, unimpressed, annoyed.

"Because I won't see-"

"Jung Wooyoung! Tell me this instant! I'm sick of seeing Yeosang's look like some kicked puppy every time I have to tell him that you don't want to see him. He looks so hopeful every time I open that door, Wooyoung! And yet-"

"He hurt me! I won't see Kang Yeosang because he betrayed me! Now, tell him to piss off and go bend over some more for that stupid alpha!"

"Jung Wooyoung!" His mother said no more beyond his name as a reprimand, looking too shocked to know what to say. After a moment of silence, she spoke, her voice quiet.

"Even if he hurt you, you should not speak in such a vulgar way," she turned around to leave but before she walked away, she turned back around. "When I come back here, you will explain to me what happened."

And with that, Wooyoung was left alone once again. He moved closer to his doorway, standing from his bed and keeping his footsteps steps light as he crept slightly down the hall. He strained his ears to hear what his mother said to Yeosang and could just barely hear it.

"Wooyoung doesn't want to see you, Yeosang. He's asked that you stop coming here."

Yeosang's voice was too muffled to hear, so Wooyoung crept closer, sticking close to the wall so that he'd remain unseen. He missed Yeosang's response, but guessed at what he said by his mother's cold response, "That wasn't necessary. I've already arranged for his work to be emailed to him."

"I-You're getting it emailed? But I always bring his work when-" Yeosang sounded so lost, confusion evident in his tone as well as uncertainty and pain. But Wooyoung didn't feel bad. He didn't feel anything.

"It doesn't matter what _used_ to happen. This is how it will happen now. You should be relieved-"

"He told you," Yeosang's voice suddenly sounded empty, resigned. "Tell the oblivious idiot that nothing was done to hurt him." Yeosang's voice was louder now, angry. Yeosang wanted Wooyoung to hear him.

Woyooung realised with a flash of anger that Yeosang knew he was there, or at least guessed he was. Wooyoung hated that he was predictable. He remained hidden though, unwilling to give Yeosang the pride of being right. Three loud knocks sounded and Wooyoung frowned. Who could be knocking while Yeosang was still standing there?

"What are..." his mother trailed off. Wooyoung flinched at the sound of the door closing and scrambled to return to his room before his mother found out he'd been eavesdropping.

He quietly sat on his bed, wincing as the bed springs squeaked. But his mother did not appear at his door. Not until an hour later. When she did reappear, she held a bag of chips. She shook them when Wooyoung stared at her quizzically. "Story snacks," she said. "I don't have popcorn, so chips will have to do."

Wooyoung's jaw dropped. Was she seriously treating Wooyoung's troubles like some drama she watched on the tv?!

She smiled at him, as if knowing what he was thinking. 

Once she was sitting beside him, chips open and ready to be eaten, Wooyoung began telling her what happened.

"Well, three weeks ago, we had two wolves transfer to our campus, I think I told you about it," his mother nodded and Wooyoung continued on. "An alpha and an omega. Like a fool, I fell for the omega. I didn't think anything about the fact that Hongjoong and Seonghwa transferred here at the same time, or the fact that they were almost always together. I just thought they were friends and-"

"You and Yeosang were always around each other and were just friends, so it's a fair assumption." 

His mother apologised when he glared at her for interrupting and motioned for him to continue. 

"As I was saying," he narrowed his eyes as his mother crunched particularly loudly on a chip. "I was dumb and fell head over heels for the omega, for Seonghwa. And I was also dumb enough to not realise that he was mated."

His mother opened her mouth he sighed, "What?"

"I don't really see what this has to do with Yeosang."

"I'm getting there!" Wooyoung loved his mother, he truly did, but sometimes, she could be a little too impatient.

"While I was stupidly telling Yeosang everyday about Seonghwa, it turns out he was stabbing me in the back and getting all cozy with Hongjoong."

"Who's Hongjoong?"his mother asked before crunching on another chip.

"Seonghwa's alpha and mate," Wooyoung replied blandly.

"Okay. How was Yeosang 'getting cozy' with this Hongjoong?" Wooyoung shrugged and looked down at his hands. He didn't want to admit that Hongjoong had made Yeosang laugh like he used to or that Yeosang had seemed so happy after Hongjoong scented him. He didn't want to admit that Hongjoong seemed to succeed in places where Wooyoung had failed...maybe that was why Yeosang had betrayed him. Because Wooyoung was the bad friend.

_No_. Wooyoung clenched his fist. He wasn't the bad friend. Yeosang was. Wooyoung had never been mean to Yeosang or hurt him. He'd only ever been kind to him and always looked out for him.

"That bad, 'ey?"

"Huh?" Wooyoung glanced up at his mother.

"You clenched your fists and you have this scary face," she gesture vaguely to his face. Wooyoung shook his head and tried to relax his tensed muscles before speaking again.

"He just got super close with Hongjoong and it seemed like I didn't mean as much to him anymore." He knew what his mother's next words would be before she even spoke them, knew from the thoughtful expression on her face, knew from how she set aside the packet of chips.

"But he keeps coming to see you."

"Yeah. Only because Hongjoong is in rut and he has no one else to hang out with right now," Wooyoung snarked.

His mother frowned.

"Yeosang never seemed like the kind of boy who would hurt anyone purposefully. Or even accidentally for that matter," She tried. His mother always tried to see the other side of things and keep an unbiased viewpoint until she had all of the facts. It was some what annoying, but Wooyoung wished he had the ability to set aside his emotions for a moment to consider other perspectives.

"He doesn't but he did and purposefully. He knew they were mates and hid it from me. And worse, he told them that I liked Seonghwa," Wooyoung covered his face as shame reddened his cheeks for the thousandth time that week.

"Oh..."

"Yeah, oh," Wooyoung's hands dropped into his lap and he sighed. "He let me make a fool of myself and then pretended to be there for me."

"What happened?" His mother's voice was soft as she placed a comforting hand on his arm. He met her eyes and felt his heart melt. His mother was so kind and understanding, the love shining in her eyes was more than Wooyoung could handle and he was forced to look away.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just wanted to understand better and know how you found out about Yeosang's betrayal," her words were sincere, and Wooyoung knew he could tell her that he didn't want to talk anymore and she'd leave him be without any judgement.

"No, it's okay. I'll tell you," he whispered.

And so, he told her about how it was the second time he and Seonghwa had hung out and they were going to relax at Seonghwa's place for a while but when they arrived, they found Yeosang and Hongjoong instead of an empty house. He didn't mention the scenting, knew he wouldn't be able to keep his cool if he deviated even just a little from the main story. His voice dropped lower as he reached the end, where he had to explain what words were exchanged between everyone present.

His mother listened to his story silently. She was attentive and offered sympathetic words in appropriate places. Wooyoung appreciated his mother for understanding him. He could tell she had her own opinions on what had transpired, but she kept them to herself. Wooyoung was grateful, he didn't think he could handle hearing how stupid he was from his mother just yet.

His mother left him alone to finish packing afterwards and Wooyoung found himself staring at Yeosang's contact. The messages from Yeosang since everything happened glaring up at him. The boy had repeatedly begged Wooyoung to see him, to listen to him, to talk to him, but Wooyoung hadn't responded to a single message. The last message was from yesterday after Yeosang was turned away for the sixth time. Yeosang had come both in the morning and afternoon on the Sunday after the day that it happened. That day, Wooyoung had received a lot more messages than any other day, but he had ignored them. Too angry to even read them until two days later.

Wooyoung frowned at the screen. There were no new messages since yesterday. He didn't know why, but the lack of messages made something twist uncomfortably in his stomach.

~~~~~~~~~ ******* ~~~~~~~~~

Friday, a week since his stupidity came to light, was consumed by a wicked storm. The starving storm thrashed the streets with sheets of ice cold rain and tore at everything in it's path with whirling gusts of wind. The windows and doors rattled violently as the wind whistled past, screaming like a banshee in the night, a herald of death.

Wooyoung jumped when his mother opened his bedroom door at the same time as a loud crack of thunder roared over the wailing wind.

His mother's face was pinched and Wooyoung was immediately concerned.

"What's wrong?" He asked, standing from his bed to approach his mother.

"Do you know where Yeosang is?"

"What? Why would-" Wooyoung tensed when his mother's gaze darkened, anger and fear battling for the spotlight. "What happened?"

"Yeosang's mother just called me," she took a deep breath before continuing, as if preparing herself for something huge. It was huge, Wooyoung realised later. The words his mother uttered next were monumental.

"She can't find Yeosang."

**~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~**

_ Jongho _

Jongho was just closing up the store, his shift having just ended and his manager requesting the store be closed early due to the storm, when he saw Yeosang. The human had paused at the foot of the steps that led up to the cafe doors and was staring up at Jongho silently.

Jongho could tell instantly that something was wrong. Even though the rain impaired his sense of smell, the water drowning out any scent it could, he didn't need Yeosang's scent to tell him that the human was upset. It was written all over him, his body language screaming it at Jongho in big bold letters.

"Oh, Yeosang! What are you doing out in the storm?" Yeosang shrugged but did not speak. Jongho tried to keep the friendly smile on his face, not wanting to frown and possibly upset the already distressed human.

"Were you looking to get something? I can-" before Jongho could finish, Yeosang started shaking his head. Jongho stood uncertainly, hand still resting on the door handle.

Suddenly, Jongho realised how drenched Yeosang was, the boy still standing out in the rain. Although the intensity of the storm had lessened a few minutes ago, it was still raining and the wind was strong enough to make the trees creak as their boughs bent under the pressure.

"You're soaked! Were you out in the rain all this time?" Jongho moved down the steps, opening his umbrella in one swift motion and sheltering Yeosang from a small portion of the rain. Most of it still hitting the boy as it was practically raining sideways thanks to the wind.

Yeosang nodded, eyes downcast. Jongho immediately scolded him for being so stupid. "Do you want to catch a cold? You shouldn't be out in the rain like this, let alone a storm!"

The older boy rolled his eyes. But he tensed, flinching when a flash of lightning streaked across the dark clouds followed by a deep rumble of thunder that shook the sky.

Even so close to Yeosang, Jongho still couldn't smell his scent to know exactly how he was feeling, the water clinging to his clothes and skin masking everything. So, Jongho searched Yeosang's eyes for answers. All he saw was fear and sadness.

What had happened to make the happy Yeosang so painfully quiet and solemn?

"If I may ask," Jongho began haltingly. Yeosang inclined his head slightly, a sign for Jongho to continue. "Why did you come here in the middle of a storm if you didn't want anything from the cafe?"

Jongho thought Yeosang was going to remain silent when the boy turned his gaze to down the street and didn't speak. But, Yeosang surprised him by meeting his eyes once more and whispering so quietly, that if Jongho were not a wolf hybrid, he would have not heard it. "S'not true. I wanted you..."

Jongho's eyes widened and his lips parted slightly. He stared at Yeosang, wondering if it was a joke or if he'd heard wrong, but Yeosang looked so serious and even replaying the words in his head, he couldn't find out what he could have misheard. He found himself frustrated that he couldn't smell Yeosang. It was aggravating that he had to guess based on the human's body language alone. That didn't help at all when he said something like that. Something that could mean something very different depending on the emotion behind it. But then again, maybe Jongho was overthinking it.

Jongho always overthought when it came to Yeosang.

"Do you want to come back to my place to warm up?" He asked, he didn't know why he thought such an offer was wise. He was just grateful that he'd already had his rut last month and wouldn't need to worry about his hormones making him look stupid and horny.

He was surprised when Yeosang nodded and pressed closer to him as another rumble of thunder drowned out the whistling wind. The damp clothes on the human seeped a coldness through Jongho's own, but he didn't mind. 

They walked in companionable silence as the storm began to pick up momentum. Soon, the umbrella was rendered useless and Jongho was forced to close the nuisance of an umbrella as it kept folding itself inside-out in response to the wind constantly changing directions.

Jongho pretended not to notice how Yeosang tensed every time lighting flashed, or how he flinched when the following crack of thunder roared furiously over the howling wind. And when Yeosang yelped at a particularly sudden boom of thunder, Jongho simply put an arm around him and pulled him as close as he could without them stumbling over each other.

When they reached Jongho's place and stumbled inside, it was like a weight lifted from Yeosang's shoulders and his posture relaxed slightly. Yeosang must not like storms, Jongho concluded. 

"You should shower and change out of your wet clothes otherwise you'll get sick," Jongho said as he turned the lights on. Yeosang looked at him, eyes wide and expression scandalized. 

"I-I- These are my only clothes. I can't change-"

"I'll give you some of my clothes. But I'm not letting you stay in those soaking clothes. Go have a nice warm shower and I'll bring you a towel and some clothes," Jongho left no rooms for arguments and even began gently pushing Yeosang towards the bathroom. The boy gave up trying to fight with Jongho and closed the door behind him once he was at the bathroom. Jongho waited until he heard the water running and then went to search for a spare towel and some clothes to give Yeosang to wear until his clothes were dry. Once he'd acquired the items, he knocked on the door and warned Yeosang that he was going to open the door enough to put the towel and clothes just inside the door so Yeosang could easily find them. 

After doing that, Jongho walked around the house to make sure everything was at least somewhat presentable. While on his way back towards the kitchen, Jongho thought that Yeosang might be hungry. He tried to think what the boy liked most, hoping to cheer him up even just a little by surprising him with his favourite food. Chicken. Yeosang loved chicken, Jongho smiled as he remembered Yeosang excitedly telling him about some fried chicken he'd had the night before from some new restaurant that opened a few blocks away. Jongho hadn't been able to keep himself from laughing a little about Yeosang's animated expressions while talking about chicken and Wooyoung's embarrassed 'I don't know this person'. 

Jongho frowned as he thought of Wooyoung. His eyes unconsciously began to stare in the direction of the bathroom. This was the second time he'd seen Yeosang without Wooyoung by his side. As much as Wooyoung could be loud and a little obnoxious (and clearly oblivious to Yeosang's very obvious crush on him), something didn't sit right about seeing Yeosang without his best friend. 

Jongho shook his head and sighed. He was probably just overanalyzing. Wooyoung probably wasn't dumb enough to go wandering about in a storm and was warm and safe at home while Yeosang was out and about getting soaked. 

Jongho had to call a few places before he found one that was willing to deliver chicken despite the storm. He ordered a few different kinds of fried chicken along with some drinks and then waited. Leaning against the kitchen counter, Jongho stared out the window and watched the trees tremble and shake as the wind whipped ferociously at their exposed trunks, ripping many leaves from their branches, leaving them bare as rain poured neverendingly onto their fresh wounds. 

"Uh, thank you for letting me use your shower. And for the clothes."

Jongho startled. A hand unconsciously moved to his chest as his heart skipped a beat. Yeosang struggled to hide his laugh at Jongho's reaction, settling on covering it up with a cough. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you heard me," Jongho shook his head. 

"It's fine. I'd just zoned out," Jongho looked Yeosang up and down. He looked good in his clothes. When Jongho dragged his eyes back up to Yeosang's face, the boy was blushing a little. 

"My clothes suit you," Jongho said. Yeosang looked stunned by Jongho's sudden praise, his eyes widening comically. To many, it may have seemed like a stupid comment considering Yeosang was wearing a standard black t-shirt and a pair of basic white shorts, but they really did look good on him. 

"Thank you," Yeosang whispered with a shy smile. Jongho smiled back. "You should go shower too," Yeosang gestured to Jongho's own wet clothes. "You got rained on too. Sorry about that."

"It's okay. I don't mind. I'll only be a moment. Make yourself at home," Jongho gave Yeosang one last smile before heading off to shower.

~~~~~~~~ ******* ~~~~~~~~

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jongho asked while they were eating chicken. Yeosang shook his head, a frown on his face even as he ate a piece of fried chicken. 

Jongho nodded and let the boy eat in silence. 

Once the food was cleared away, they were both sitting on the floor, watching a random replay of an old drama on the tv and Jongho pulled gently at Yeosang. Yeosang turned around and stared at Jongho in confusion until the alpha gestured for the boy to lean against him. Yeosang looked uncertain, so Jongho gestured again. this time, Yeosang slid over to him and rested his back against Jongho's chest. Jongho smiled when he felt the boy relax against him. His instincts had been right, this _is_ what Yeosang need. 

"You know that I'm always here for you, right?" he murmured softly, afraid to speak too loud and break the calm that had settled over them. In his arms, Yeosang almost seemed unbothered by the thunder, only flinching a little when a particularly loud boom shook the windows. "I'll always listen to whatever you have to say. So, if you ever need to talk about anything- anything, whether it be about the weather or something more, I'll always listen to you."

Jongho thought the human was going to remain silent, but Yeosang surprised him when he whispered something he never thought he'd hear from Yeosang. 

"Wooyoung hates me." 


	17. CH 4: Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He just couldn't sleep during storms unless someone was with him.
> 
> The alpha tucked Yeosang into bed and sat on the edge of it. He ran his fingers soothingly through Yeosang's hair and asked quietly, "Why do storms scare you?"

_Hongjoong_

**A** fter two weeks of dealing with their slightly out-of-sync cycles and discussing possible stressors that could have caused Hongjoong's earlier rut and the alpha being forced to promise Seonghwa that he would spend less time composing, and more time sleeping, they both felt refreshed and ready to leave the house. 

Hongjoong was beyond thankful that heats and ruts only happened every three months, although, sometimes, the three months seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Although he lost a week or two to his and Seonghwa's cycles, he couldn't complain too much when he felt refreshed and his inspiration was renewed. 

Feeling in good spirits despite their out-of-sync cycles, they had both agreed that a night out would be great. It had been a while since they had, had time for a night out- or had the energy for it. Their previous home had become so filled with pressure and stress that their cycles were so aggressively out of sync that they began feeling drained after each cycle, rather than full of energy. Their doctor had suggested moving to a new place and cutting ties with the toxic people in their lives, including family members. 

Mates were supposed to have synced cycles and mates whose cycles were out of sync were often looked at with pity and concern. Mates who weren't in sync were more susceptible to becoming ill after their cycles or falling into an omega drop or rut drop. It was why Seonghwa and Hongjoong went to the doctor after four gradually more out sync cycles happened and Seonghwa started losing his appetite and weight- the last straw being Hongjoong's brief hospital visit after his rut that he'd forgotten to prepare for amidst his work and caring for Seonghwa. Hongjoong had been ready to do whatever the doctor suggested from the moment he said it, but Seonghwa had needed some time to consider it. They were on the same page for most things and despite Seonghwa's hesitance, he had allowed Hongjoong to start looking into places they could move to and ways they could cut ties with everyone toxic who was just adding to the stress of their studies. 

Obviously, Seonghwa eventually agreed to do as the doctor suggested and as Hongjoong wanted, because now here they were in a new suburb, no ties with those who had only sought to harm them and their cycles were almost back in sync after several months of being out of sync. 

Now, they were walking hand in hand down the path after their meal, planning on stopping at the ice cream parlour on the next street for desert. They pause when they see something unsettling a few metres away. There, in the middle of the path with three leering alphas surrounding him, stood Yeosang, his words slurred and loud as the alphas pressed at him with their hands and spoke to him with barely disguised excitement. It wouldn't take a genius to work out what the alphas intended to do once they herded Yeosang away from the main path. Hongjoong's protective instinct immediately flared up and his eyes flashed the tell-tale red as he saw the wandering hands and smelled their revolting scents. A wild fury burned within him as some stragglers, a solo beta and a small group of humans just stared pointedly at the ground and practically scurried away from the scene, no intention to even call for help or intervene. A low rumbling beside him startled him and he glanced to his right where he saw Seonghwa's gaze fixated on Yeosang trying in vain to shove the alphas' hands away from his body while yelling something or other that was indecipherable from how slurred his words were.

Launching into action, Hongjoong stormed forward, ordering the other alphas to get away from Yeosang. They dared to bare their teeth at Hongjoong and Hongjoong ordered them once more, the alphas forced to begrudgingly do as they were told. Hongjoong sneered at them as they slunk into the shadows, their gazes lowered as his status outranked theirs. Once Hongjoong was sure they were going to stay back, he glanced at Seonghwa, both of them sharing a look before they approached Yeosang. The human was staring at them, but his eyes were glazed over and the dumb smile on his face probably meant that he didn't even realise they were in front of him, or what had just been happening. The boy reeked of alcohol and Hongjoong gently grabbed his arm, intent on leading him away from the club where the sleazy alphas they had just scared off were waiting in the shadows, hungry eyes watching Yeosang's stumbling form.

Hongjoong bared his teeth at the alphas and they feigned disinterest, glancing away as Hongjoong struggled with an extremely inebriated Yeosang. Seonghwa helped Hongjoong lead the swaying human down the path and towards a waiting cab that the omega had flagged down a few seconds ago while Hongjoong was trying to get Yeosang to listen to him and stop trying to return to the bar. Yeosang babbled slurred nonsense as they led him away, his arms flailing in their grip as he claimed that he could walk just fine by himself.

Getting Yeosang into the cab had been a task and a half as the boy was intent on returning to the bar now that the building was once more in his line of site. It had taken several tries, some agitated shouts from the driver and the bribe of chicken if he hopped in, for Yeosang to finally comply. Thankfully, the human passed out not even a minute into the thirty minute drive. Hongjoong and Seonghwa sat in complete silence, too stunned by the state in which they had found Yeosang in. This wasn't the Yeosang either of them were used to. 

Neither of them had been looking for Yeosang, and neither of them had anticipated running into their human friend in this small city area, figuring Yeosang would be hanging out with Wooyoung or Jongho at either the cafe or his house, or doing something close to home, not somewhere half an hour away, getting absolutely wasted by himself. Hongjoong glanced at Yeosang, the boy's head resting heavily on Seonghwa's shoulder where it had fallen after the car began moving. Asleep, Yeosang looked peaceful and relaxed, it was a stark contrast to how tense he had been before Hongjoong's rut or even how wild he looked before passing out.   
  
  
The rest of the journey home continued in silence, both Hongjoong and Seonghwa glancing intermittently at their sleeping friend. Hongjoong had a bad feeling about whatever had made Yeosang upset enough to get so wasted.   
  
  


**~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~**

_ Yeosang _

He had stayed the night at Jongho's as the storm picked back up and the alpha refused to let him go out in such bad weather.

The alpha had handed him his phone to call his mother and let her know that he was safe when he found out that Yeosang had snuck out of the house without telling his mother. After the phone call wherein his mother was both relieved to find out that her son was safe and alright and anxious because he was staying the night with some stranger, and a wolf hybrid alpha at that.

Yeosang's mother wasn't a close minded person, but she did have an implicit bias towards wolf hybrids, and in particular alphas. Alphas were stereotyped as aggressive and horny beings who wouldn't hesitate to do anything and hurt anyone to get what they wanted. They were also labelled bullies in school, someone to be wary of because of their super strength and unstable hybrid minds. Yeosang was uncertain where these stereotypes came from, but he still didn't believe them. Every alpha he'd met thus far were the kindest and softest people he'd ever had the pleasure of interacting with.

It was the omegas that everyone should look out for...

Sleeping at Jongho's house had been nice. The alpha had given him his bed and said he'd be fine on the couch, but Yeosang had come back out barely ten minutes later to ask if the alpha could stay with him, at least until the storm passed. It was dumb, he knew but he just couldn't sleep during storms unless someone was with him.

Jongho was up and guiding Yeosang back to the room the moment he embarrassedly explained himself. Yeosang saw no judgement in the alpha's eyes and easily relaxed as Jongho's fresh scent surrounded him comfortingly.

The alpha tucked Yeosang into bed and sat on the edge of it. He ran his fingers soothingly through Yeosang's hair and asked quietly, "Why do storms scare you?"

Yeosang was silent for a moment, his mind already lulling to sleep with the comfort of having the alpha near and his sweet hot fudge brownie scent making Yeosang feel safe; protected. He opened his eyes and found Jongho's shining in the dark as lightning flashed through the gaps between the curtain and window, lighting up the room briefly.

"My dad had an accident," he answered in a small voice. He inhaled deeply, using Jongho's warm scent to ground himself as the memories he'd being trying to ignore reared their ugly head. He'd only ever spoken to Wooyoung about it. He trusted Wooyoung with his entire soul. Wooyoung was his anchor in this unstable world. Even his mother and therapists couldn't pry the information from him.

He felt the alpha's hand still in his hair and he knew the alpha had picked up that there was more to the story. A _lot_ more than Yeosang was going to say.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," the alpha whispered hoarsely. Yeosang blinked up at the alpha. Without thinking, he wiggled his arm out from under the blanket and touched Jongho's cheek gently. He instinctively moved his thumb to wipe away a tear that was sliding down Jongho's face. The alpha made a surprised, almost choking sound.

"I'm sorry," Yeosang said. Jongho's eyes widened.

"You- What are you sorry for? You've done nothing wrong," the alpha sound panicked.

"I know my scent is sad. I'm sorry I can't hide it."

"No. Never try to hide how you're feeling from me, okay? If you are sad, I want to know so I can comfort you. I want to be here for you, no matter how you are feeling. Never be sorry for how you are feeling," Jongho's voice was stern but his words were soft. Yeosang gave the alpha a small smile.

"Thank you, Jongho."

They didn't speak again after that. Jongho's fingers resumed their amble through Yeosang's hair and Yeosang quickly found himself drifting off.

~~~~~~~~~ ******* ~~~~~~~~~

When he woke up, sun peeked out from behind the curtains, the light faint but offering Yeosang the comfort of a storm free morning. Yeosang sat up slowly, eyes roving around the room.

Jongho was no longer beside him, but he could smell bacon and hear the faint sizzling and popping of something cooking in hot oil in a pan. Yeosang rubbed gently at his eyes, trying to clear them of sleep.

Slowly, he stood from the bed and walked out of the room. He made his way to the bathroom with a small yawn. Checking himself in the mirror, he decided to wash his face and tame his sleep mussed hair with his fingers.

Making his way to the kitchen, he found Jongho singing softly to himself while flipping some eggs. Yeosang leaned against the counter and smiled at the alpha's angelic voice.

"Have you ever thought about becoming a singer?" Yeosang asked, hiding a smile behind his hand when the alpha startled, jumping and whirling around.

"You scared me!" Jongho exclaimed with an embarrassed laugh as he turned back to the stove. "I-uh, to be honest, I have thought about it," Jongho admitted. "But I know how alphas are treated in the music industry..."

Jongho didn't need to clarify. Yeosang knew what he meant. He felt bad for even bringing it up. Alphas were often treated poorly with very little promotions or screen time granted to them. Their every movement and breath was scrutinized and twisted to turn them into monsters to propagate the alpha stereotype. Even other hybrids turned on alphas in the music industry. It was sad and many alphas didn't survive the cruel industry. Often killing themselves after enduring cyberbullying, false rumours, fake sexual assault accusations and a handful of disgusting slurs with no reprieve or help. The companies turned a blind eye and other artists kept out of it to avoid any hate. The few alphas who handled the industry well didn't renew their contracts when the time came. There was only one alpha, Wonjun, who was thriving in the industry and bringing in fans from all across the world. It was surprising how popular he was considering he was a solo artist and the fact that he was an alpha. But his music somehow did something that other solo alpha artists had not been able to achieve. So far, he was the only alpha to survive in the ruthless industry. He was an inspiration to many which had lead to an increase in alpha's joining the industry and also a higher suicide rate as even Wonjun's fans attacked the new alpha's and called them wannabes and other nasty things. The alpha had made several statements on the matter, but it, unsurprisingly, never solved anything.

Now that Yeosang thought about it, he was glad that Jongho had been dissuaded by the poor treatment of alphas. "Oh, well. It's their loss really," he said with a smile, attempting to shift the mood to something lighter. Jongho returned his smile before focusing on cooking. Yeosang settled on a stool next to the counter and watched Jongho focus on cooking.

The breakfast tasted better than Yeosang had expected and he wondered how he could find more opportunities to taste Jongho's cooking.

"How come you're a waiter at the cafe when your cooking skills are exceptional?" Yeosang asked brazenly as he shoveled more food into his mouth. He glanced up when the alpha remained silent. Jongho was blushing, his eyes fixed on his half empty plate.

"I'm not that good," Jongho finally answered.

Yeosang shook his head. "That's a lie! This tastes better than any other time I've had it."

~~~~~~~~~ ******* ~~~~~~~~~

The morning went surprisingly well. 

Yeosang was in a better mood than the previous night, a small weight lifted from his shoulders. And, as he headed home after bidding farewell to Jongho at the cafe around midday as his shift started, Yeosang found himself feeling positive about the day. 

When he walked in the door, he was greeted by his mother who practically suffocated him in her eagerness to hug him tight. 

"I-I can't believe you're truly alright! I mean, I'm pleased- beyond pleased! But-" 

"It's okay, mum. I get it. But you need to stop thinking alphas are so bad. And Jongho is super nice. You don't need to be worried about him hurting me or anything," he said as he extracted himself from her grasp and walked towards the kitchen, stomach grumbling lowly. He glanced back and saw a small, knowing smile curling her lips up prettily. He met her fond stare. "What?" he asked, shifting uncertainly. 

"Oh, nothing. I'm just glad you're okay," she said, her smile turning mischievous. Yeosang nodded before searching the fridge for something to eat. He stopped, however, when his mother sidled up beside him. He closed the fridge as he straightened up and looked at her. She stared back silently. 

"What is it?" he asked, tone somewhat exasperated. He knew something was on her mind, but she was waiting for him to bring it up. The problem was, he had no idea what she wanted him to talk about. 

His mother stepped back, pulling a face as she shook her head, shoulders turning away as she prepared to leave the kitchen. Yeosang sighed and grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place. 

"I know you're dying to ask me something. Just ask it."

She turned around in his arms, a grin on her face. "Well, it's just, you had such a tender tone while speaking of this alpha- this Jongho..." 

Yeosang felt his cheeks burn, a blush obvious on them if his mother's growing grin was anything to go by. He groaned and hid his face, turning away. "I-it's not like that!" he denied her assumptions quickly. Too quickly. She muttered a quick 'mhmm' before raising her hands in surrender when Yeosang shot her a glare. 

"I believe you. I believe you," her tone indicated otherwise, but Yeosang dropped it as she walked away. Continuing would just look even more suspicious. 

He snorted as he went back to searching the fridge. As if he _liked_ Jongho. What an insane idea. 

**~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~**

_ Hongjoong _

Yeosang was sitting in front of Hongjoong and Seonghwa, his head in his hands, both a pounding migraine and painful thoughts causing him to scrunch his eyes shut. His elbows were white with how hard they were pressing against the wooden table. 

Seonghwa had made Yeosang some hangover soup when he woke up and the latter had eaten it eagerly, his eyes squinting against the bright sunlight as he walked out into the lounge room. He had greeted the pair with surprise but visible relief swept away some of the tension in his body. Hongjoong had inquired how much the human remembered from the previous night and discovered that he didn't remember anything after stepping out of the bar. Hongjoong figured it was probably for the best. But he did warn Yeosang to be more careful next time and told him about how they found him, despite Seonghwa's squawk of surprise and disapproval. 

Yeosang had somehow managed to go a few shades paler in response to the information, although he already looked impossibly pale. He had thanked them both before going quiet and focusing on the soup. 

Once he had finished the soup and Hongjoong saw he was ready to get up and leave, he asked the question he had been dying to get an answer to since they had run into him the night before. 

"What happened?" It was a vague and loaded question, but it was obvious what he was alluding to, and he knew it from the way Yeosang froze, eyes widening until instant regret flooded him and he pressed his palms against his eyes and used the table to support his elbows. 

Seonghwa was surprisingly silent, and Hongjoong spared him a glance to see his mate was observing Yeosang intently, his lips drawn down in a tell-tale fretful frown. Hongjoong hoped Seonghwa could hold off on wanting to care for Yeosang's hangover long enough for them to get answers from Yeosang. 

The quiet of the room pressed down on Hongjoong. The longer Yeosang took to answer, the worse he began to speculate. Had his mother died? 

The words Yeosang uttered next were not something Hongjoong was expecting to hear. 

"Wooyoung _left_ ," Yeosang's lips trembled. "He left _me_."

Yeosang's voice was heartbreaking to hear. It was the pure embodiment of despair and confusion, his scent heavy with both of those emotions. Just as Seonghwa reached out to comfort Yeosang across the table, he continued and Seonghwa's hand paused, hovering over the table uncertainly. "He promised! He promised he'd always be- But he lied!" Yeosang pulled his face away from his hands and tears tumbled down his cheeks in tiny rivulets. 

"What do you mean?" Seonghwa's voice was soft as he stood up and moved around the table to kneel beside their distressed friend. A hand rubbed up and down Yeosang's back, while the other wiped at his cheeks in a futile attempt to stop the tears. Hongjoong watched the Yeosang he knew disappear before his eyes.

"Wooyoung moved away. He doesn't live here anymore," Hongjoong shared a puzzled look with Seonghwa. Wooyoung moved? Why would he move? 

"I didn't realise he was planning on moving..." Hongjoong received a glare from Seonghwa but he ignored it. 

"He wasn't!" Yeosang's eyes were wild as the met Hongjoong's, the continuous stream of tears suddenly drying up. The emotions roiling under the surface were frightening. Yeosang wasn't just distraught, he was furious. "At least, he didn't tell me he was!" 

The atmosphere changed suddenly as Yeosang's scent shifted into something more somber and his previously drying eyes were wet once more.

"D-Do you think he left because I didn't tell him that Seonghwa was your mate?" Yeosang's expression was pitiful as he looked from Hongjoong to Seonghwa, begging them to tell him he was being ridiculous. Hongjoong leaned forward, wiping at Yeosang's cheek, his heart clenching painfully. He wanted to assure Yeosang- wanted to tell him that there was no way Wooyoung would be that mean to him, but he couldn't. He didn't know Wooyoung well enough to say. So all he could do was move beside Yeosang and cradle the breaking boy in his arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! There is six more minutes until it is 2021 here in Australia.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry it is so short. I've been struggling a lot with this chapter and decided to break it into two separate chapters so that the size was more manageable for my current mental health.


	18. CH 5: Little Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "But honestly, Hongjoong, I need more," Seonghwa said. His eyes were honest as he held Hongjoong's stare unfalteringly. Seonghwa wasn't playing around. He wasn't asking, he was demanding. Hongjoong's lip curled slightly. It felt like his back was up against the wall.
> 
> "How much more?" Hongjoong asked gruffly.

_ Yeosang _

He should have listened to his mother. He should have taken his phone with him last night. He should have come home earlier. He should have- a sob ripped him out of his thoughts, the burning of his throat stealing his attention. His steps stuttered to a stop. Glancing backwards, he saw the large moving van pulling out of the drive way and turning left, turning away from Yeosang.

Wooyoung was gone. Yeosang's best friend, his soulmate, his rock, his oxygen, was gone. What was Yeosang supposed to do now? How was he supposed to breathe? How was he supposed to live without Wooyoung? Another sob wracked his body, shaking him to the core.

Why didn't Wooyoung tell him he was moving? Did he really hate him so much?

Swallowing a sob, Yeosang tore his eyes away from the now empty house and started walking down the path, away from the place haunted by cherished memories that meant nothing anymore.

Every step took him further and further away from the place he had considered his second home, which was now rendered unfamiliar and cold. Every step wrenched another sob from him as the world spun around him, tilting upside down as Yeosang struggled to breathe. Blurry figures moved past him, seemingly gliding around him without so much as a word.

Yeosang was drowning. Drowning and yet he didn't have the energy to fight it.

The ten minute walk back to his house dragged on for and eternity. His tears dried up as he passed the old oak tree next to the park where he swore he could still hear Wooyoung's childish giggle as he "hid" from Yeosang on the lowest branch back when they had first met, many years ago. Yeosang stopped, his head turning slowly, tired eyes landing on the spot where the branch used to be. That too was gone. Hacked off by the government some time during the eight years he'd been away in another country. Despite knowing it was gone well before today, Yeosang felt a sharp pain in his chest as he thought about both Wooyoung and that moment in their childhood being gone. He inhaled a shuddering breath, eyes painfully dry as if he'd cried out all of the water in his body already.

Forcing himself to continue walking, he turned his back on the old oak, thoughts heavy with Wooyoung and searching for any reason that might explain why his closest friend had left him without a word of warning. He wouldn't have just left him because he was mad, right? No. Yeosang chastised himself for the ridiculous thought. There was no way Wooyoung would force his mother to move just because he was mad at Yeosang. That wouldn't make sense. There was no way they could have packed up and moved in only a week, right?

Yeosang shook his head, trying to shake away the neverending thoughts. He didn't want to think. He didn't want to wonder. He just wanted to go home and sleep. He was tired.

He looked up from the footpath and looked across the road. He saw his mother waiting on their front steps, her hands clasped tightly together by her chest, fingers playing absentmindedly with the ring she still kept on her finger. Her eyes roved over the street, searching. When she saw him approaching, she rushed down the steps to greet him, her lips quivering as he walked avross the road and lethargically walked closer towards her. She reached out her hands to his face as he stepped onto the path, but he pushed them away before stepping past her and heasing up the steps and inside into the house.

A strange anger was bubbling under his skin now. He felt furious as he took in the brightly lit house and the smell of fried chicken, which he had no appetite for. How could she pretend chicken would fix this? He stormed towards his room, ignoring his mother calling for him, her voice strained.

He slammed the door closed and collapsed onto his bed, the anger seeping out of him just as quickly as it had overwhelmed him.

No particular emotion filled the void the anger had vacated. His chest was hollow and barren. He exhaled and closed his eyes. Maybe if he'd wake up and find this was all just some horrible nightmare. He was obviously just stressed about Wooyoung ignoring him and his subconscious had blown it out of proportion and given him this nightmare. Why would Wooyoung move away without telling him? That didn't make any logical sense. So, this had to be a nightmare. It was too nonsensical to be real.   
  


**~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~**

_ Seonghwa _

Yeosang began to calm down after breaking down in Seonghwa's and Hongjoong's arms for almost an hour. Seonghwa had been afraid that he would pass out from how little he was breathing, but Yeosang didn't, and as he began to calm down, Seonghwa handed him a glass of water. Yeosang threw him a small, grateful smile.

"Thank you," he croaked. He took a sip before speaking again, his voice hoarse, but less croaky. "I'm-ugh! Sorry for crying all over you guys like that." Yeosang's ears were slightly red, his expression embarrassed as he placed the glass on the table.

"It's fine as long as you didn't get any of those big tears on Seonghwa's precious, clean rug," Hongjoong's tone was playful, his eyes twinkling as he met Seonghwa's glare.

"It's fine as long as _Hongjoong_ didn't dirty my rug," Seonghwa told Yeosang who had a small smile tempting his lips up from their previous frown. The corners of his lips twitched further as Hongjoong made an indignant sound before hitting Seonghwa lightly.

"Hey! How's it only fine if I didn't dirty it? Seonghwa?" Hongjoong sounded offended as Seonghwa just grinned at Yeosang who was now grinning back. "Hey! How is this fair? Seonghwa! Answer me!" Hongjoong as practically shrieking as Seonghwa and Yeosang began to giggle together, their giggles quickly becoming loud laughter as Hongjoong became increasingly louder.

Seonghwa lost it when Hongjoong huffed and turned away from them, a pout already half formed as he turned his back to them. "S'not fair," he mumbled to himself. But Seonghwa heard and he choked on a breath as a new fit of laughter overwhelmed him. Hongjoong was just too cute to handle!

"H-Hongjoong," he gasped out, his laughter unyielding as Hongjoong turned further away as Seonghwa tried to pull him back around by tugging on his arm.

"Honey," Seonghwa tried again after composing himself, only a small giggle leaving his leaps as he spoke. Yeosang went silent as Seonghwa crawled over him to get to Hongjoong. He slipped his arms around Hongjoong and whined as Hongjoong was now the one ignoring him. "Joongie," he made the final syllable drawn out to emphasize his whine. "Don't ignore me, Joongie. I'm sorry for teasing you, okay? But you're so cute when teased. I just couldn't help myself!"

Hongjoong didn't respond and began pulling away from Seonghwa. Seonghwa let him. The alpha shuffled his butt forward before turning around, his pout making it hard for Seonghwa not to 'awww' or start laughing again. He bit his lip to stop the bubbling laughter in his throat as Hongjoong began to speak.

"How's it fair if I'm the only one who gets in trouble for dirtying the rug?" Hongjoong asked sulkily, his pout intensifying as Seonghwa clearly struggled to maintain his composure. He coughed as he tried found a laugh escaping him as he went to speak.

"Because Yeosang is a guest and you always dirty my rug," Seonghwa said, his tone soft and only slightly accusing. Hongjoong narrowed his eyes and looked ready to turn right back around, but he just huffed instead, his shoulders drooping in defeat.

"I hate that you're right," he said quietly. Seonghwa just smiled, leaning forward to peck his adorable mate on his pouting lips. He just couldn't help it. Hongjoong could just be so unbearably cute sometimes and Seonghwa just wanted to kiss him to death.

Pulling away from Hongjoong, Seonghwa returned his focus to Yeosang, who was averting his eyes, expression embarrassed. He heard Hongjoong moving behind him, coughing once in his own embarrassment as he realised that Seonghwa had kissed him in front of Yeosang. Hongjoong wasn't fond of public displays of affection. It often made him feel awkward and embarrassed, so, Seonghwa rarely did anything affection when they were around others so that his mate wouldn't feel uncomfortable. But sometimes, Seonghwa liked to steal a kiss or hold Hongjoong's hand. Hongjoong always let him. Compromising with Seonghwa as he knew Seonghwa loved to show that Hongjoong was his mate in any way he could and loved to be affectionate all of the time.

"You can look now," Seonghwa chuckled. Yeosang looked over at them both, a sigh of relief escaping him.

"Glad you guys didn't start just making out while I was here. That would have been awkward," his laugh sounded uncomfortable but Seonghwa laughed genuinely with him as Hongjoong was quick to deny any possible make out sessions while Yeosang was present.

"No way! There will be no making out! Especially not while you're right there. That would be so embarrassing!"

"Hongjoong, honey, not everyone is embarrassed by making out in front of someone like you are," Seonghwa reminded his mate. Hongjoong's tone had sounded too horrified for Seonghwa's liking. He knew it made Hongjoong uncomfortable, but he wished Hongjoong would just let him express his affection more openly. He loved Hongjoong and wanted him to know it always, whether they were surrounded by people or alone. 

He turned away from Hongjoong just as the other looked at him, apologies shining in his eyes. They would talk about this later, after they found out what had happened with Yeosang and how he had found out that Wooyoung had moved.

"I don't mean to ruin the good mood we just built up, but I do want to know how you found out Wooyoung left and why that lead to you getting wasted last night," Seonghwa's tone was serious, but he tried to keep his expression as open and kind as possible, hoping that Yeosang would understand and not think he was inconsiderate. 

"I walked there, to his house," Yeosang's voice was still hoarse from crying and Seonghwa pushed the half-empty glass of water towards Yeosang as a reminder. He got the hint and took another sip before continuing. "I went there a-and saw this moving van. At first I was confused, but when I went to walk up to the house, I saw them carrying some furniture out of there and I just knew it wasn't a mistake for the van to be there." 

Seonghwa's heart pounded heavily against his ribcage as Yeosang spoke, his voice was soft and sorrowful. Seonghwa couldn't help but to imagine how he would feel if he was Yeosang and had seen that moving van without any knowledge that his best friend had moved. He thought he'd cry for days and feel betrayed and abandoned. 

"I asked one of the workers if Wooyoung was inside. The guy was cheery but apologetic. He said 'oh, you've just missed him. He and his mother left ten minutes ago.'" Yeosang frowned and went silent for a long moment before speaking again. "I walked home after that and slept for the rest of the day," a dry laugh left him. "Didn't even eat the fried chicken in the kitchen. I completely forgot..." He trailed off again, his eyes staring dazedly at the water in the glass on the table beside him. 

"Did he message you?" Hongjoong asked. Seonghwa glanced at his alpha, he seemed pensive, his whole attention focused on Yeosang. Yeosang's eyes flickered with sadness as he shook his head. 

"Not since the night before." 

"Oh, he was talking with you but didn't tell you-"

"No," Yeosang snorted. "He was probably just acting concerned because my mum was freaking out because I wasn't home during the storm."

Both wolf hybrids were at a loss for what to say. 

"What happened after you guys left that day?" Seonghwa asked uncertainly. He didn't know what happened during his and Hongjoong's ruts, but he was beginning to gather that there was more to Yeosang's pain than just Wooyoung leaving without telling him. 

Yeosang shrugged. "What is there to tell. He refused to see me. He never responded to my messages. And he always sent his mother to send me away. He just doesn't love me, not even as his closest friend. I get it. I get it. I hurt him," Yeosang shrugged once more, a pained smile reaping havoc on his delicate features, twisting them in an undercurrent of agony. "I hurt him, so he hurt me. I deserved it. So-"

"You don't deserve to be treated poorly," Hongjoong growled, Seonghwa nodded, agreeing with him. 

"You never set out to hurt him. You were hurting to keep _him_ happy. You don't deserve any of this poor treatment," Seonghwa said. 

"You also didn't do anything to warrant him behaving like this. He's acting like an immature brat. Blowing up at you like that- I know I was harsh, and if I could apologise to him, I would. My rut is no excuse for what I said, but he _did_ cross a line while I was going into rut and it set me off. But either way, he had no right to treat you as if you betrayed him and stabbed him in the back," Hongjoong's scent was growing aggravated and it was spilling over into his tone. Seonghwa placed a comforting hand on his arm, brows drawn together with concern. He didn't want Hongjoong getting too worked up, otherwise it might upset Yeosang further. 

Yeosang was looking down at his lap, his fingers looping together and sliding around each other as he fidgeted. Seonghwa shuffled his knees forward so that he was closer to Yeosang and reached out, dragging their human friend into a well deserved hug. 

Hongjoong settled beside them, but he just ran his fingers through Yeosang's hair with a soft expression. And Seonghwa couldn't stop the thought from running rampant through his mind. Hongjoong would look so good caring for their pups. A deep yearning reignited in Seonghwa, one he hadn't felt for several months, but one he was well acquainted with. They had discussed it before- before things went to hell- and had agreed that they wouldn't have pups until they had finished their studies and at least one of them had a job. Seonghwa had wanted to demand that they have pups their very next cycles, but he knew that it was wiser to wait. But he'd always loved the idea of having pups and doting on them. And hopefully even imprinting on one or two! imprinting was an unpredictable thing, some wolf hybrids imprinted with several pups, while others didn't imprint with a single pup. Seonghwa hoped to experience imprinting on at least one pup. His mother hadn't imprinted on him and so, Seonghwa didn't even have an idea to what it would be like. Some friends who had pups had told him that it was a beautiful bond that they wished every parent and pup could experience. 

"You said he messaged you the night before but he wasn't- he wasn't messaging you prior to that?" Hongjoong's query snapped Seonghwa out of his daze and he quickly refocused on the human in his arms as he sat up. 

"Yeah. I just- I didn't even know he messaged until the next day. I probably wouldn't have stayed with Jongho."

"You stayed with Jongho overnight?" Hongjoong suddenly perked up, his eyes shining with excitement as he leaned forward on his hands, eagerly waiting for Yeosang to respond. "How was it?" Seonghwa narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his mate. He hoped Hongjoong hadn't been meddling again. 

Yeosang suddenly blushed a bright red. "N-Nothing happened. I- He- There was that big storm and it was easier to stay at his place," Yeosang ducked his head, beginning to sound embarrassed. 

"But you said your mother was panicking because you weren't home," Seonghwa mentioned, brows furrowing. There was something Yeosang wasn't saying. "I was in heat during the storm, but I remember it was very loud and Hongjoong said that the rain was as thick as a wall and the wind made it look like the trees where going to snap in half. What were you doing out in a storm like that?" 

"I-I never said I was out in it," Yeosang said. 

"Jongho would have been working before the storm hit though," Hongjoong said. "That's his normal Friday afternoon shift right? So he would have still been at the cafe when the storm hit. So, to even run into him, you'd have to go to the cafe and be out in the storm," Hongjoong suddenly grinned wickedly. "Unless, of course, you knew where he lives and you-"

"No! No! I went to the cafe! I went and he was locking up because of the storm and he invited me back to his place and we went there!" Yeosang hurriedly exclaimed. 

"So, Jongho _invited_ you back to his place, in the middle of the storm?" Seonghwa slapped Hongjoong's arm when he saw him wiggling his eyebrows. But Hongjoong just shook him off and grinned at a madly blushing Yeosang. "You know, during storms are the best time to share a bed with an alpha." 

Seonghwa tackled Hongjoong, the other laughing like a madman as Seonghwa began hitting him and yelling at him for being inappropriate. 

"KIM HONGJOONG! HOW COULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YOU'RE INSANE! YOU'RE A PERVERT!" Seonghwa was practically screeching at Hongjoong while he just lay beneath him, roaring with laughter. Seonghwa continued hitting Hongjoong, yelling this and that at his outrageous mate, even threatening to throw him outside if he didn't stop laughing, but the idiot just laughed harder. 

**~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~**

_Hongjoong_

Yeosang had left not long ago and now silence filled the house. Seonghwa was in the kitchen, cleaning dishes and tidying up while Hongjoong had his laptop opened on the table, but, he wasn't working, his thoughts were still on Yeosang. 

After Hongjoong had managed to stop laughing and Seonghwa had stopped screaming at him and hitting him, he had apologised for being inappropriate (as per Seonghwa's demand) and then asked Yeosang for more details. There were some things that Yeosang left out, it was painfully obvious as he cut certain things short with brief descriptions, rather then go into detail like he did about walking home with Jongho in the storm and joking about how he should get his own personal alpha so he was safe from the storms more often. This left Hongjoong in tears while Seonghwa just stared at them both in despair. 

Yeosang had left not long after that, thanking them for taking care of him while he was drunk and for the hangover soup and apologising for being a burden. Both Seonghwa and Hongjoong had been quick to tell him that he wasn't a burden and to let them know if he wanted to someone to talk to. He'd thanked them and left. Hongjoong had a feeling that they wouldn't be hearing from Yeosang. 

He wondered how Yeosang would be at school after the mid-semester break ended. Honestly, it was impeccable timing from Wooyoung, leaving right before the two week break. 

He was disturbed from his thoughts when Seonghwa set down a tea beside his laptop. "Working hard, I see," his mate said grimly. 

Hongjoong looked up at Seonghwa, he wanted to talk, his expression was carefully blank, not giving away anything, but his scent suggested that he was annoyed. "Thank you, for the tea, Hwa." 

"Do you think you can spare a second to talk?" Seonghwa asked, even as he settled across from Hongjoong, placing his own tea down in front of him on the table. Seonghwa looked up at Hongjoong and he nodded wordlessly, shutting his laptop and moving it to the ground beside him. 

"Of course, I always have time for you," Hongjoong took a sip from his tea, instantly regretting it because it was still quite hot. Seonghwa scoffed at his words.

"You always were such a charmer." 

Hongjoong grinned at Seonghwa who rolled his eyes before clearing his throat, signaling that he wanted to talk about whatever was bothering him now. While Hongjoong had been expecting a discussion about Yeosang, what Seonghwa wanted to talk about was not related to Yeosang. 

"Can you please try to be a bit more considerate of me?" his tone raw as his eyes stared into Hongjoong's own pleadingly. 

"What do you mean, Seonghwa?" Hongjoong asked warily. He thought he was always rather considerate of Seonghwa. He tried to cast his mind back over the day and work out what he could have done to make Seonghwa feel like he wasn't being considerate enough. 

"I've always understood that it makes you uncomfortable when I'm affectionate to you when others are around, and I've always done my best to make sure you rarely feel uncomfortable." 

Hongjoong tensed. Oh. Public affection. He clenched his fist in his lap. He had thought they were over this. That they'd worked out a perfect compromise. Was Seonghwa dredging up this old topic simply because he was embarrassed by Seonghwa pecking his lips while Yeosang was right in front of them? His answer wasn't going to change. He just couldn't stand it when others were around and Seonghwa tried to be affectionate, he just felt really uncomfortable and it made his heart pound- but not in a good way. 

"I will admit, there are times, like today where I kiss you or touch you how mates usually do, but that's what we agreed upon. But honestly, Hongjoong, I need more," Seonghwa said. His eyes were honest as he held Hongjoong's stare unfalteringly. Seonghwa wasn't playing around. He wasn't asking, he was demanding. Hongjoong's lip curled slightly. It felt like his back was up against the wall.

"How much more?" Hongjoong asked gruffly. 

"I-I don't know," Seonghwa gestured vaguely. "I need to be able to touch you more often; hold your hand, kiss you, cuddle with you. Just do the things we do at home, but in public."

Hongjoong shook his head vehemently. His heart was already beginning to thud frantically against his ribcage for even entertaining the thought. He couldn't. He couldn't do it. It just wasn't right for him. He couldn't reciprocate or appreciate Seonghwa's gestures of affection if he did them all in public. He didn't want to grow to dread his mate just showing his love for him. He wanted to love and cherish every moment Seonghwa kissed him, every time Seonghwa intertwined their fingers, and every second of his warm cuddles, back-hugs and loving touches. He didn't want to feel uncomfortable around Seonghwa, he didn't want to associate Seonghwa's love with discomfort and anxiety. So, he rejected Seonghwa's proposition. "No."

"Hongjoong-"

"No. Seonghwa, I can't have you doing that. It's-"

"You can, though! It won't be big and unbearable, I promise! Just pecks and hand holding more often to start with and maybe a cuddle here and there if we are on a date or some-"

"Seonghwa! I said no! Why can't you just listen to me?" Hongjoong growled at Seonghwa, anger and frustration swirling through his veins. He saw the reflection of his eyes flashing red in Seonghwa's eyes. It hurt him to have to say no to Seonghwa. He wanted Seonghwa to be happy and free to do whatever he wished and he wanted to give him the world, but he just couldn't give him this. This little thing that most mates and even human couples didn't even bat an eye at. 

"Why can't _you_ just listen to _me_?" Hongjoong looked back up at his mate, his eyes having drifted down to the table. Seonghwa's voice shook and his eyes were shiny with tears, his scent was sour with hurt.

"I _am_ listening to you, Seonghwa. But you're not listening to me! I've told you I don't feel comfortable when you do that stuff around others. It makes me anxious and embarrassed. My discomfort should be more important than your wants," Hongjoong snapped. He was beyond frustrated. He was more angry at himself than Seonghwa, but there was nothing he could do. 

Seonghwa's lips pulled into a thin line and he blinked at Hongjoong, a tear teetering off of the edge of his eyelashes and splashing down his cheek. "Okay," was all the omega said before standing up and leaving the lounge room, sounds from the bathroom indicating that he was getting ready for bed early despite it only being 6pm. 

Hongjoong remained seated at the table. He had hurt Seonghwa. He hadn't meant to hurt Seonghwa, but he had. All because he was the wrong alpha for him. All because he had some nonsensical aversion to expressing his affection for Seonghwa in public and vice versa. 

~~~~~~~~ ******* ~~~~~~~~

Hongjoong was in his studio, working on a new song that he'd gotten inspiration for, when he heard a knock on the door. He glanced up at the clock and noted with a wince that it was 1am. He turned towards the door as it opened and Seonghwa stepped inside. Hongjoong settled the headphones around his neck while saving the project he was working on, trying to pretend he wasn't hyper aware of his mate walking into the room until he was was standing behind him. Seonghwa's scent was muted and Hongjoong immediately felt worse than before. Seonghwa's scent was only like this if he was extremely upset but trying to mask it. 

"Hongjoong, please come home. It's late."

Seonghwa was still upset, and yet, here he was at Hongjoong's studio at 1am which was a 30 minute drive from their apartment, asking Hongjoong to come home. Hongjoong didn't fight him, just nodding his head and shutting down his laptop and packing it away. Seonghwa walked back to the doorway after Hongjoong agreed, waiting for Hongjoong to finish packing up before walking towards the car, Hongjoong not too far behind.

The drive home was uncomfortably silent, Seonghwa completely focused on the road and Hongjoong not wanting to say anything that could upset Seonghwa further. Arriving home didn't break the silence, Seonghwa simply returned to their room, flicking the bedroom light off after a few moments. Hongjoong just silently went about getting ready for bed and quietly stepped into the room, pausing for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the dark of the room in comparison to the bright light of the hall. They always kept the hallway light on in case Seonghwa had a really bad nightmare, their door never completely closed to allow for a sliver of the light to trickle into the room at all times. He kept his footsteps light as he approached the bed, hoping not to disturb Seonghwa. 

Slipping into bed, Hongjoong exhaled softly. It was nice to lay down, he would admit that. If Seonghwa hadn't come and gotten him, he didn't know how long he would have spent at the studio.

That wasn't completely true. He wouldn't have returned until the sun was well above the horizon line. He knew that was why Seonghwa had come and gotten him. Whenever they fought or upset each other, Hongjoong went to the studio and spent hours working on a song until he was happy with it or he realised just how much time had passed and finally returned home. 

He lay beside Seonghwa, but a thick line of space separated them. He turned his head to the side and stared at Seonghwa's dark form. The omega had his back to Hongjoong. 

"I'm sorry," Hongjoong whispered into the dark before turning away from Seonghwa and closing his eyes, willing himself to sleep, rather than dwell on how he hurt Seonghwa. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: First chapter of 2021 ^-^ I hope 2021 treats you well! 
> 
> I am wondering if you have noticed that Yeosang's POV is in the past, while everyone else's are in the present?


	19. CH 6: A World Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa was so close, barely half an arms length away, and yet it felt like he was a whole world away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder that this story is a work of fiction. Any similarities of names, people, places, and events to real life is purely coincidental. 
> 
> I recommend this song for listening to during Hongjoong POV: Heart Heart Head - Meg Myers  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvh_0CuMMtM&list=TLPQMjgwMjIwMjF2_ams0eDlzw&index=16   
> It's what I was listening while writing it. So, if you are interested, then please give it a listen. For me, the screams matched up with when I was writing Hongjoong's...struggles

_ Hongjoong _

**H** ongjoong was unable to sleep, no matter how hard he willed himself to just fall into the comforting embrace of unconsciousness. His brain wide away despite having less than three hours sleep. He had rolled onto his back and stolen a glance at his mate, the one he loved most in the world, and felt his chest constrict painfully. He turned his body to face the middle of the bed, his eyes staring at the face of his mate, his expression soft and calm. Seonghwa was so close, barely half an arms length away, and yet it felt like he was a whole world away. Hongjoong was struck by dizzying sorrow, his head spinning as he sat up, eyes burning. He blinked rapidly, willing the burning and dizziness to stop. He struggled to swallow around the lump in his throat. Despite still sharing the bed, there was always this impenetrable wall of space between them. Neither of them crossed it when they were asleep or awake. Neither of them had declared that they shouldn't cuddle up together, this wall just seemed to exist to torment Hongjoong further, to remind him that keeping his distance would have been the best thing for Seonghwa two years ago. He spared a glance in the direction of his peacefully sleeping mate before all but leaping from the bed. His breath stuttered as he swiftly rushed from the house, barely remembering to grab his laptop before his feet carried him out the door. 

He needed to get out. He needed to get away from Seonghwa and the suffocating silence stretching out between them, the dark and empty void of space that separated their hearts. Quick steps had him stumbling down the street towards the bus stop. His thoughts barraged him mercilessly, hooking their claws into him with delighted fervor. 

He shouldn't have coveted something beyond him. Now, he was the reason Seonghwa was upset and suffering.

On the bus, Hongjoong found himself staring out the window, watching the world slide past him in a never-ending storyboard of the lives of people who rose with the sun. Some were stumbling drunks, others were formally dressed business people, a few were mothers and grandmothers out for a stroll with young kids in tow, their joyful laughter audible even inside the bus. He watched absently as the odd homeless person here and there was walking dejectedly down the side of the path, moving towards wherever they went before the city woke up and became a bustling humdrum.

Watching the people, Hongjoong's thoughts were momentarily relieved of their shackles of self-loathing that had been holding him prisoner for several days now. The pressure in his chest, however, had not eased. It was becoming difficult to breathe, his shallow breaths growing shallower and shallower the further away he got from the house, from Seonghwa. Soon, the pressure building in his chest was all he could focus on. The dizziness and sorrow overwhelming him until his eyes burned with unshed tears. His vision blurred and he squeezed his eyes shut, wishing for it all to stop. 

_Cruel alpha. Selfish alpha. You're mate doesn't deserve someone as awful as you!_ The words were his own, his own spiteful voice spitting them at him from within the confines in his mind. A memory, a dream from a few nights ago- the last time he'd slept. Once more, he was swallowed up by it. He could see himself, his alpha, staring at him with disappointment and disgust, red eyes boring into Hongjoong's pitiful soul. _Worthless. You can't even take care of your omega like you promise. Can't love him right. You don't deserve someone as magnificent as Seonghwa._ The alpha spat out the word like poison, red glare searing Hongjoong's skin until he was clenching his teeth in agony. His body felt as if it were really on fire. 

A new voice scoffed at him as he cowered under his alpha's stare, the words mocking and triumphant. _See, little Joongie? I told you that you were a no good alpha. I warned you. You will only ever bring despair and suffering for any poor omega you shackled to you. Stupid, Joongie._

Hongjoong started at the cruel feminine voice, words familiar and yet not. He looked up, but saw nothing but writhing darkness, even his alpha had vanished. 

He flinched, his elbow knocking against the hard side of the bus, startling him out of his thoughts. His eyes snapped open and he squinted in the bright light, the bus angled towards the rising sun. He glanced around, feeling disorientated. No one else was on the bus, no one to witness his insanity. No one to judge him for being a horrible mate. No one to mock him for mating Seonghwa but drawing the line at public displays of affection. 

No one around to ease the pressure still crushing his lungs. No one around to comfort him. No one around to tell him that he isn't the wrong alpha for Seonghwa. No one around to disprove his sisters words. No one to save him from himself. 

No one around to save Seonghwa from him. 

**~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~**

Hongjoong didn't make it to the studio. He got off at the next bus stop, not caring that he was still carrying his laptop, or that he was only at least fifteen minutes away from the studio. He walked in the opposite direction of the studio, but not back towards his house. He crossed the road, not caring that the light would turn red when he was only half way across the road. Let the cars wait. Let the cars speed behind him. Maybe he'd get lucky and one of them would be too impatient and would just run him over for the fun of it. He almost smiled at that thought. Almost, but his lips twitched downwards instead. Seonghwa's forlorn face flashed into his mind. He couldn't do that to Seonghwa. Couldn't let him bare the agony of a shattered mating bond. The pure torture of one losing their mate could drive the living to insanity. Even if Seonghwa wished they weren't mates anymore, even if he'd realised that Hongjoong was the wrong mate for him, even if he didn't want Hongjoong in his life anymore, Hongjoong's death would destroy him. He'd feel like his heart had been wrenched from his chest and crushed into a thousand miniscule shards of glass before being shoved down his throat. Hongjoong had seen what it did to his sister, he couldn't imagine doing that to Seonghwa, couldn't bear the thought of being selfish enough to let his mate suffer like that. He swallowed thickly, feeling guilty for even having a passing thought of wanting death. 

He crossed the road without being hit, and walked up the street until he could turn down another street to head towards where, he didn't know. He allowed his feet to lead him down streets while the memory that had replayed in his mind so many times that it was engraved on the back of his eyelids, played once more. He remembered the flash of red reflected in Seonghwa's eyes, he remembered his harsh words, and most of all, he remembered Seonghwa's teary eyes, his trembling voice, his quiet, dejected 'okay', his disappearing form down the hall, his soured scent ever since, his tired voice whenever he asked Hongjoong to come home, the fatigue drooping his shoulders, the despondency in the way his eyes followed Hongjoong as he left the house for the studio. 

There was a distance between them now. Not just physically, but in their bond as mates as well. There was a distance and Hongjoong was going insane from it. He felt it, he noticed it. Every single moment that Seonghwa did something different, every single moment that Seonghwa said something or didn't say something. The distance between them so blaringly obvious when they were normally so close. He didn't want to lose Seonghwa, but he wasn't a stranger to the thought of letting Seonghwa go. Letting him go find someone better. Someone who could love him how he wanted to be loved.

Hongjoong's thoughts were consumed by Seonghwa as he walked absentmindedly towards an unknown destination, familiar accusations hounding him, growing louder and louder as he fell deeper into his thoughts. _Cruel alpha. Selfish alpha. Worthless. Undeserving of such a loving and sweet omega. Cursed alpha._

He loved Seonghwa. He loved the omega with everything he had. He'd hand him the world on a shining, silver platter if Seonghwa asked for it, and yet, he couldn't just be affectionate with Seonghwa in public? How ridiculous was that? How did he expect to give Seonghwa the world if he couldn't even give him something like this?

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't recognise the familiar scents, or hear Yeosang at first. He only realised who was in front of him when a warm hand clasped around his arm and halted his movements with a gentle tug. 

Hongjoong halted and looked down at his arm with a jerk of his head, startled. He frowned, confused and dazed until he looked up and saw Yeosang. His mind scrambled as he met the human's concerned eyes. He forced a smile onto his face, hoping it didn't look as utterly fake as it felt.

"Yeosang! What a pleasant surprise- oh and Jongho! Hi!" He glanced between the two as he realised that they were both together, possibly even hanging out. He ignored the questioning look Jongho was shooting him and looked back at Yeosang. "Are you two hanging out?"

"Yeah. Jongho just got off work and we were going to get some lunch. Do you want to join us?"

Hongjoong shook his head. He didn't want to be around anyone right now, he didn't- couldn't pretend he was okay, that he wasn't a horrible alpha who had hurt and upset his mate. "No thank you," he replied. "I'm just taking a walk."

"You seemed lost in thought," Yeosang mentioned tentatively. 

His smile threatened to disappear as he wondered how he seemed to the human. He glanced away, turning his head to watch the traffic, giving himself to collect and calm his thoughts before looking back at Yeosang. "Yeah, I'm just thinking is all."

"Oh. Where's Seonghwa?" Hongjoong tensed at the questions, eyes flickering to Jongho who was watching him closely, eyes narrowed, nostrils flared, no doubt taking in his scent. Panic flared up inside Hongjoong at the baby alpha possibly realising how not _fine_ things were. 

"Uh, he's at home," Hongjoong answered slowly, hand coming up behind his neck to scratch at the nape of his neck, the pressure in his chest growing worse under the weight of Jongho's stare and Yeosang's curiosity. 

"Is he alright? He's been sounding a bit weird in his texts and-"

"He's fine," Hongjoong interrupted, voice rough, eyes wandering down the path. He needed to get away. He needed to get away. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

He made to walk away before he froze, turning back around and handing his laptop to a puzzled Yeosang. "Could you hold onto this for me, please?" he asked. 

Yeosang accepted the laptop, brows raised, but he thankfully did not question Hongjoong giving him his most prized possession. "Sure, just drop by mine when you want it back," Yeosang said amiably, eyes dancing with unspoken questions. Hongjoong nodded his thanks before walking away, hands no longer burdened by the weight of his laptop and a destination in mind. 

**~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~**

Hongjoong didn't remember calling Eden, didn't remember getting in the taxi that drove him for an hour to the hotel that the older alpha happened to be staying at, didn't remember sobbing into Eden's chest and collapsing in the perturbed alpha's arms, didn't remember Eden's soothing voice lulling him to sleep. Hongjoong didn't remember any of it, too drunk to even remember leaving the bar. But, Eden filled him in when Hongjoong wandered woke in the unfamiliar room and sat up, gasping as a lance of pain cracked his skull open. Eden had pitied him for all of two seconds before demanding answers, his distress over Hongjoong's odd behaviour and sour scent hanging heavily in the air. 

And so, Hongjoong recounted what had happened between him and Seonghwa, even explaining how he had been feeling since after prompting from Eden. The older alpha's eyes darkened as Hongjoong told him everything. Strangely, Hongjoong felt numb as he spoke, as if he could no longer feel any emotion. 

"I heard her voice in my head," Hongjoong said after a long silence. Eden's sharp eyes snapped to his own, having been previously staring out the window, thinking over all that Hongjoong had told him. Hongjoong knew Eden didn't need him to clarify who he was referring to, but he needed to say it, needed to admit that "I heard my sister's voice. She was right." His voice cracked, and so did whatever dam had been holding his emotions hostage. He heaved in a stuttering breath before a tidal wave crashed over him. 

Eden held Hongjoong tightly, cradling him against his chest, scent anguished. He was whispering into Hongjoong's hair, his own tears wetting the strands. Gentle kisses were pressed into his scalp and Hongjoong sobbed harder. Despite Eden's kindness, he didn't feel calmer or better, he felt worse. He didn't deserve this kind treatment. Not when he was such a horrible mate to Seonghwa.

"She's not right. She's not right. She's not right. She's s'not right," Eden's denials began to slur as he struggled to swallow his own sobs. 

"I'm the worst alpha! I'm a curse to my mate," Hongjoong choked out, words escaping him without intention. Eden's arms tightened ever so slightly around him as he shook his head, chin grazing the top of Hongjoong's head. 

"No, you're not, Hongjoong," the alpha growled. Hongjoong felt lips pressed against the top of his head once more. A hand began rubbing soothingly at the small of his back. Hongjoong's lungs suddenly flooded with Eden's calming scent as he inhaled sharply. "You're not the worst alpha. You're not even a bad alpha. You aren't a curse to him either. Don't let her words get to you. She was so wrong- still is so terribly wrong. You're such an amazing alpha. You saved Seognhwa from his horrible family, you saved him from those monsters. But you never let him save you, Hongjoong," Eden's voice broke and Hongjoong felt his chest heave as he took a deep breath to steady himself. "You never let _me_ save you."

Hands were gripping Hongjoong's shirt tightly, holding him as close as possible as Eden exposed his own guilt. "And I let you just push me away and act like everything was fine. I- Hongjoong, let Seonghwa in. Tell him everything. Tell him the things you still keep from me, let him _see_ you. Just please, let Seonghwa in. Let him _save_ you." 

Hongjoong clutched Eden tightly. He couldn't do as Eden asked. He didn't want Seonghwa to know, couldn't have Seonghwa know. Didn't want him to know that sometimes he couldn't sleep because his sister plagued his mind. Eden tensed against Hongjoong and he knew that the older had picked up on his rejection of Eden's plea. 

"You have to tell him, Hongjoong," Eden whispered brokenly. "He needs to know why you fear being openly affectionate in public, why it makes your skin crawl and your chest tighten, why it makes you look over your shoulder, why it makes you anxious about every nearby human and wolf. He needs to know just how big of a deal it is that you even mated him. He needs to know what your sister did to you."

**~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~**

_ Seonghwa _

'I'm sorry.'

The whispered apology echoed through Seonghwa's mind tirelessly. It's incessant chant terrorizing him whenever he looked at Hongjoong.

A part of Seonghwa wanted to reach out to his zombie-like mate, to just tell him that it was okay, that he understood, but he couldn't. He couldn't give in. Not again. He needed this. He needed Hongjoong to understand that he didn't just _want_ this. He _needed_ it. He needed it just as must as Hongjoong needed to scent Seonghwa before and after they went out to feel comforted and like Seonghwa was truly his. Just like Hongjoong needed little assurances that Seonghwa did indeed love him, Seonghwa needed them to be able to be affectionate in front of others. He felt horrible whenever he saw other mated couples or even human couples holding hands, cuddling, kissing or even giving each other sneaky butt taps in public, but he could do none of that with Hongjoong or experience any of it from Hongjoong.

He hated how Hongjoong would tense up and freak out whenever Seonghwa tried to even merely hold his hand in public, even if they were in the movie theatre where it was dark and no one would notice. Seonghwa couldn't stop the pesky thoughts telling him that Hongjoong was rejecting him because he didn't want or love him.

He'd found it growing worse recently. Impossible to ignore. His need to just touch Hongjoong and express to him how much he loved him, regardless of who was around. He knew Hongjoong hated it, hated anything remotely physically affectionate when others were present, but Seonghwa _needed_ it.

Now that they were swiftly syncing back up, the need was stronger and Seonghwa was beginning to feel like a failure of a mate. It was like he was chained up, unable to express his love to Hongjoong and every moment he couldn't break free of those chains, was a moment wasted, a moment where his beloved would never know just how much Seonghwa loved him.

It was easier on the days that they were home alone together because Seonghwa could be as loving as he wanted and Hongjoong would easily accept it all. But the moment someone came over or they had to go out somewhere, Hongjoong rejected it all. Rejected Seonghwa.

Seonghwa was tired of it. He needed Hongjoong to know he loved him 24/7, no matter where they were. Hongjoong needed to understand that Seonghwa didn't feel comfortablewhen he had to restrain himself constantly from expressing his love for his mate. He felt like a part of him was unfulfilled and that he wasn't being the best possible mate he could be for Hongjoong. Seonghwa couldn't understand why he felt this way, he just knew that if he couldn't hold Hongjoong, even around their friends or hold his hand when no one would notice, then he was going to go insane. He just needed Hongjoong to _understand_ that.

Seonghwa splayed his hands out on top of the kitchen bench. His fingers ached from being clenched while he was lost in thought.

There were only four more days until the two week break ended and they started up their final eight weeks of the semester. Four more days. Seven days had already passed since their fight. Each day going almost exactly the same. Neither of them would speak to each other but Seonghwa would make them both breakfast, Hongjoong would sit with him to eat and then leave for the studio until Seonghwa drove down to pick him up and then they went to bed, the cycle repeating almost identically every day.

Today, Seonghwa had woken to an empty bed and an anxious scent cloying heavily in the stagnant air of the room. Seonghwa walked out to the kitchen, looking for Hongjoong's usual note he usually left if he left for the studio before Seonghwa woke up- as if Seonghwa needed a note. There was only one place Hongjoong would be at that time in the morning. But, there was no note today. Seonghwa frowned, a twinge of sadness shooting through his chest.

Seonghwa sighed to himself, willing away the sadness, and made himself breakfast. There was no use dwelling on it. It wouldn't change anything. Just like his hoping and staring at the clock the past several nights hadn't brought Hongjoong home earlier. Seonghwa was just thankful that Hongjoong didn't argue about staying longer at the studio whenever he went to get him, even though Seonghwa could tell that there were a few nights where he wanted to keep working.

Seonghwa felt his heart thrill whenever Hongjoong immediately began saving his work and packing up his things and obediently following Seonghwa to the car. He felt light and floaty when he saw _his_ alpha doing as _he_ asked.

That first night had been difficult. Seonghwa was so angry at Hongjoong, but those whispered words of his mate when they were both in bed had doused some of his burning rage. Hongjoong had sounded so heartbroken and lost and his scent was so distressed and remorseful that it had taken everything within Seonghwa not to just turn around, embrace Hongjoong and comfort him. Instead, he'd forced himself to feign sleep and waited until he was sure Hongjoong was asleep before turning around to look at his mate, who even in his sleep, reeked of distress and remorse. He'd been disappointed to find Hongjoong's back to him, but he'd just been happy that Hongjoong had even come home when he asked.

But, Hongjoong had been getting worse. Seonghwa paused his eating, staring down at his bowl as he put his spoon down. Hongjoong had been eating less and less, avoiding eating some days, under the guise of giving it to Seonghwa instead. Seonghwa wasn't a fool though, he didn't miss this. And between only eating a small amount of food at breakfast and sleeping less than 5 hours for the past seven days, Hongjoong was beginning to look sickly pale and gaunt. His scent was constantly changing, but an alien heavy spiciness clung to Seonghwa's throat whenever he lay in bed with Hongjoong.

Hongjoong was just deteriorating before his eyes and Seonghwa wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to cave and let Hongjoong win, but he didn't want his mate to be hospitalized over an argument that most would call ridiculous. Seonghwa knew that if he spoke to anyone, they would all be on his side and exclaim about how prude and uncaring Hongjoong was to not accept Seonghwa's affection if they were in public. It was why Seonghwa hadn't reached out to Yeosang like he had planned to. He didn't want to try and help Yeosang feel better when he couldn't even help himself or Hongjoong feel better. Seonghwa just hoped that Yeosang and Jongho hung out some more and the alpha was able to help Yeosang, even just a little.

With a sigh, Seonghwa stood, picking up his half full bowl and disposing of the contents in the bin. He didn't have an appetite anymore.

**~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~**

The moment Hongjoong entered the house, Seonghwa knew exactly where he'd been- or rather, _who_ he had been with. He barely stopped his lip from curling as his mate closed the front door. 

"You were with _him_?" Seonghwa's voice came out higher than he intended, the pain obvious in his tone. Hongjoong nodded silently as he slipped off his shoes, eyes lowered to the floor. He stepped further into the house, walking towards Seonghwa, eyes sliding upwards to meet Seonghwa's searchingly.

"We were just talking. I'm sorry-"

"You reek of him!" Seonghwa snapped angrily, green tinging his world in furious shades of jealousy. "There's no way you two just _talked_." His teeth were practically bared as he spoke, but Hongjoong didn't even flinch or show any indication of remorse.

"He's in pre-rut so his scent is stronger than normal. You know how-"

"Oh, great. So you were around him in pre-rut? And you _talked,_ " Seonghwa scoffed, looking to the side for a moment before turning back to once again meet Hongjoong's unwavering gaze. It was bad enough that Hongjoong had forgotten to take his phone with him yesterday and Seonghwa couldn't find him at the studio last nigh - the receptionist informing him that she hadn't seen Hongjoong all day -but to add insult to injury, Hongjoong had been with _Eden_. "You must really think so little of me if you really think I'll believe any old bullshit." 

"It's not bullshit," Hongjoong responded tiredly, expression growing agitated. "We were just..." Hongjoong trailed off and Seonghwa waited in tensed silence. "I guess cuddling would be the best word to explain it." 

Seonghwa scoffed again. He really couldn't believe the words coming out of Hongjoong's mouth. "You guess? What does that even mean?"

Hongjoong bristled, eyes narrowing slightly, his jaw tensing the way it does when Hongjoong is pissed off. "It means what it means," Hongjoong snapped. "Eden was comforting me and he hugged me for a long time and I hugged him back."

Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong, his lip slowly curling up, jealousy and insecurities bubbling to the surface, threatening to explode out of him. 

"Of course, of course," Seonghwa knew his tone exposed how hurt he was, but his heart ached too much to hide it. Of course Eden would let Hongjoong near him during his pre-rut rather than be territorial. Of course Eden and Hongjoong would hold each other close enough and for long enough for Eden's scent to almost be a shield around Hongjoong. They were betrothed mates before Seonghwa even met Hongjoong after all, of course Hongjoong would seek out Eden for comfort. Of course he wouldn't come to Seonghwa, his own mate for comfort, because Seonghwa was a nobody in the presence of the older alpha. 

"You're always so much happier around Eden," Seonghwa whispered, heart quaking under the weight of the agony of knowing his mate would seek out another for comfort. Hongjoong's mouth opened slightly, but Seonghwa could tell he didn't intend to speak - he was shocked. Hongjoong's eyes were suddenly shining with tears, but Seonghwa couldn't tell what it meant. "Of course you would go to him for cuddles and comfort," Seonghwa's voice wobbled slightly and he cleared his throat subtly even though he knew it was pointless. 

Seonghwa's vision was slightly blurry as tears welled up in his own eyes. He stared up at the ceiling, willing them away. He blinked and a stubborn droplet teetered off the edge of his eyelashes and splashed onto his cheek before sliding down to the corner of his mouth.

"I- Seonghwa," Hongjoong's voice was pleading. "It's different. It's not like-"

"What do you mean 'it's different'?" Seonghwa exploded. He unconsciously moved a step closer to Hongjoong. His body shook with rage and jealousy as confusion and hurt danced through his veins. How was it different? Why could Eden have what Seonghwa wanted, while Seonghwa was deprived of it? Why couldn't Hongjoong trust him the same way he did Eden? 

Hongjoong opened his mouth to respond but Seonghwa found words tumbling from his mouth before he even processed what he was saying.

"You act like that with him and stayed with him while he was in pre-rut but expect me to believe you when you say nothing happened? Alphas get territorial, but he didn't-"

"Seonghwa!" Hongjoong's stern voice interrupted Seonghwa's rage-filled ramblings. "Nothing happened!"

Seonghwa scoffed. "I don't believe you."

"Clearly," Hongjoong interjected blandly. Seonghwa snarled.

"He was in pre-rut and you two have a long history. Why wouldn't more happen?"

Hongjoong's normally serene and lovely scent turned ashen and dried the back of Seonghwa's throat, making it uncomfortable to swallow. His scent overpowering Eden's scent as he growled, "Are you seriously insinuating that we fucked because he was in pre-rut and alphas in pre-rut are stereotypically likely to-"

"I meant-"

"Because you can't say that without suggesting the same for me! Do you really find me so untrustworthy?" Hongjoong's eyes shone with hurt, his mouth twisting into a grimace. "Do you think that when I was alone with Yeosang while in pre-rut that I encouraged him to let me fuck him too?"

Seonghwa was startled by the suggestion and immediately shook his head. "N-No. I know- Yeosang's not like that."

"Oh, so you trust Yeosang. You just don't trust _me_."

Seonghwa stumbled over his words as he panicked, trying to rectify his mistake. "That's not-Hong-It's-"

Hongjoong shook his head, expression closed off, eyes emptying of emotion like a knocked-over glass. 

"Hongjoong, I just don't trust you with Eden," he tried to clarify. "And I definitely don't trust him."

Hongjoong stared at Seonghwa silently. Just when Seonghwa was about to speak again, Hongjoong spoke, voice strained as if he was struggling to keep the trembling rage clenching and unclenching his fists in check. "Eden is not a bad alpha."

He didn't know why, but those words infuriated him. "Oh, of course not! Eden is just the best alpha ever!"

"Why are you acting like this?" Hongjoong's voice raised to match Seonghwa's, growing equally as loud. "You're acting unreasonable!"

"Unreasonable? Unreasonable! You expect me to trust your ex who you look at with heart eyes and who you'd do anything for?"

"I don't-"

"You do!"

"Seonghwa!"

"No! Why else would you reek of him like this?"

"We were just cuddling! I told you this! He is in pre-rut and he comforted me last night and this morning!"

"Why didn't you just come to me if you needed comforting? I would have given it to you," his heart clenched painfully, lips trembling dangerously. 

"How could I come to you? You barely look at me these days! Let alone touch me," Hongjoong's voice shook and he inhaled harshly before speaking in a stronger voice. "Besides, how could I come to you and ask for comfort when I needed it because of you?"

Seonghwa stood, mouth opening and closing like a fish. He had not expected this response at all. And then unbridled rage charged through him.

"And whose fault is that?" Seonghwa snarled. "Last time I checked, it was your fault, my dearest _mate_. You couldn't do one little thing I asked of you and even had the audacity to try and alpha order me!"

"Look, I didn't mean to alpha order- I didn't even realise I was doing it until I saw the red reflection in your eyes."

"That's no excuse! It just shows that you have no control and could have easily given in to Eden's charms before you 'even realised'."

"Seonghwa, you know that's unfair," Hongjoong growled. "Those are very different situations. Why are you so hellbent on accusing me of cheating on you?"

"Because why wouldn't you? You always do whatever he wants!"

The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately. A dark expression taking over Hongjoong's face.

"No, I don't."

Hongjoong's scent turned sour as he stomped past Seonghwa, the finality in his tone calling an end to their argument just as much as his disappearing form. Seonghwa stared after his mate in baffled bewilderment. He'd never seen Hongjoong shut down a conversation so abruptly. Ever the diplomat, Hongjoong usually continued until things were settled or the other person walked away. This set off a red flag for Seonghwa. His mate was like this after staying with Eden over night. The alpha who Hongjoong was once not only betrothed to, but in a relationship with. The alpha he was so clearly in love with. There was no way things remained platonic last night like Hongjoong tried to tell Seonghwa.

How was Seonghwa supposed to believe that everything went as Hongjoong said? It didn't make sense.

It never had.

Why would Hongjoong choose him? Why would Hongjoong choose Seonghwa as his mate when he was just some lowly omega?

Hongjoong as a top alpha should be with someone who benefitted him, not with someone as useless as Seonghwa. What had Seonghwa brought Hongjoong? Riches? Power? Family? No. Seonghwa had stripped him of everything he deserved and caused him trouble after trouble. And to top it all off, their cycles weren't even synced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: 
> 
> Wow, this chapter was a doozy to write. I was going to include more in the chapter, but it felt right to end it here and save the rest for next month. I hope you enjoy reading despite the confusing and heavier content. 
> 
> Ateez cb tomorrow! Who's excited? I know I am!


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